[okfn-advisory] Notes from today's Advisory Council call

Tue May 19 14:43:35 UTC 2015

Dear Laura, all,
apologies for not being able to attend, though originally planned to do so.
But there was a problem with the wifi with the place I was at that time, so
I was really unable to finally join the telco.
Cheers
Panos

Panagiotis D. Bamidis
Assist. Prof.,
Medical School,
Faculty of Health Sciences,
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki,
PO Box 376, 54124, Thessaloniki, Greece
--
tel: +30-2310-999310
fax: +30-2310-999702
mobile: +30-6972-008122
email: bamidis at med.auth.gr

On 19 May 2015 at 00:18, Laura James <lbjames at gmail.com> wrote:

> Thank you to everyone who joined today's call and especially welcome Pavel!
>
> Notes: https://pad.okfn.org/p/AdvisoryCouncil2015   [also inline below]
>
> Audio recording (two very small gaps where the call dropped)
> https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwrlF51mx2ojZlRzYzJGR3ZyTEU/view?usp=sharing
>
>
> Actions:
> Rufus:  update AC website to include all AC members with appropriate bio
> Rufus:   get list of AC emails so that the AC can know how to reach each
> other individually
> Laura: set up call in 3m
>
> Laura
>
>
>
> *Agenda:*
>
>    1. introductions
>
>
>    1. decide who will chair/facilitate today's call, decide who will take
>    notes
>
>
>    1. review of actions from last time
>
>
>    1. * *Laura* to arrange a similar call in around 3m [DONE]
>
>
>    1. * *Glyn* to kickstart a discussion on this list about digital
>    rights matters and whether/how Open Knowledge should be involved [DONE]
>
>
>    1. * *Rufus* to consider whether others from the executive and/or
>    board of directors should be on this list (enabling them to get more
>    involved with AC and spreading the load from Rufus) and add them if so
>    [DONE]
>
>
>    1. * *Rufus* to endeavour to share more info/updates with the AC and
>    will provide a commitment around this within a week [PARTIAL - more
>    updates but not regular yet]
>
>
>    1. discussion of recent strategy refinement from Rufus
>
>
>    1. * *Denis - *re: strategy*, *it's good to know where we want to be,
>    but how will we get there? (What's the means?)
>
>
>    1. ** Denis* - to share a local group perspective on community
>    empowerment
>
>
>    1. interesting things from local groups
>
>
>    1. AOB
>
>
>    1. *Rufus *AC website listing (raised by Martin K)
>
>
> *the call is being recorded*
>
> *Notes from the call*
>
> 1.  Introductions
>
> Apologies - Martin, Carolina, Glyn, Daniel, Soren, Peter
> Present - Denis, Hannes, Mayo, Pavel, Pieter, Rufus, Laura
>
> Chair: Rufus
>
> Introductions - welcome Pavel!  Hearing from Pavel:
>
>    - Pavel's background, experience in growth in nonprofits, and as a
>    volunteer at wikipedia since 2004,
>
>
>    - Keen to apply what learnt at wikimedia to a more mature &
>    international org at Open Knowledge, and to learn from Open Knowledge.
>
>
>    - What's happening now: meeting and reading! strategy, commercial
>    services, personnel, grant requests.
>
>
>    - official start 1 june
>
>
>    - been at Omidyar Network event in San Francisco last week. Attending
>    Open Data Conf in Canada shortly
>
>
>    - on the Advisory Council: ...  approach Pavel, let him know how
>    things are going, help him learn. Also happy to hear what AC expect from
>    Pavel
>
>
>    -
>
> Denis - OK Ireland. Since 2012 working on open, with OKF since 2013.
> Hannes - OK Switzerland, Zurich. opendata.ch. entrepreneur and activist.
> Laura - immediate past CEO :) Renewable energy consulting and IOT/privacy
> things.
> Mayo - Barcelona....
> Pieter - Ghent. Studying for a PhD in linked open data publishing.
> cofounder OKF Belgium. Now succeeded by a new chair (success!)
> Rufus
>
> 2. review of actions
>
> 3. discussion of recent strategy doc from Rufus
>
> Denis: ...  where's the money?  3 options: grants, revenue generation,
> donations?
>
>    - in Ireland, no donations for this sort of cause. Revenue - Ireland
>    small. hard; there is a state funded org employing many data scientists
>    which can take the tendres from government. Grants - few international orgs
>    interested in Ireland; money goes to global south, or to central org (OKF
>    london or ODI UK).
>
>
>    - last week US ODI nodes disassociated themselves because central org
>    can compete in local space in tendering and in grants
>
>
>    - how can Central empower local groups to do what they need to do?
>    Even to pay for hosting, space for events, etc. Difficult to attract money
>    for regular costs.
>
>
>    - how can OK Ireland continue?  Recently found out from Sander (OK
>    Central) that OK central was bidding for EU money with an Irish org
>    (competitor)
>
>
>    -
>
> Rufus:  question about resourcing both for local and international
> groups.  What's the value of being a network? What impact do we want to
> have? (that's important because it's why resourcing is needed)
>
>    - EU consortiums.... OK international doesn't lead such bids (too hard
>    for small orgs).  Someone else therefore puts together consortia and if you
>    are just a member not a lead you have limited control and influence.  There
>    is one 2020 project which funds several OK local groups in europe.
>
>
>    - founding and funding these groups is hard and we appreciate how hard
>    it is. similar to Rufus in 2004-7.... no one writes back.
>
>
>    - useful to share insights across network. Laura started some
>    knowledge sharing.  German chapter has grown a great deal; support from OK
>    International
>
>
>    - What do we think of strategy?
>
>
>    - What are resoruces? minds, spirits, time, money?
>
>
>    -
>
> Pieter:
>
>    - as chapters we have our independence and that's great, can do
>    anything.  Good feeling.  But when competing with each other, that's not
>    good. but it's a tradeoff.  Lean, mean, quick, agile, but may lead to
>    clashes. If we have to notify each other of new bids etc in advance, this
>    becomes a lot of work, slows things down.
>
>
>    - idea: a very small group, OK Europe, just to coord in 2020 calls and
>    similar.  maybe a europe scale advisory call. see who is doing what, can we
>    be more efficient.
>
>
>    - stop competitors running away with all the 2020 money!
>
>
>    -
>
> Rufus:
>
> Hannes:
>      in Switzerland decided to keep core association v small and lean, and
> be enablers for others in the ecosystem, and that we ourselves are not a
> competitor.
>      how do we fund that core work? not trivial.  but not seeing ourselves
> as a player in these bids is good.     Pros and Cons to being an active
> competitor [for funds]
>
> Rufus:
>
>    -     Swiss also run a great conference and is very well connected as
>    an enabler. Eg Hannes writing open data law
>
>
>    - individuals who contributed have also been members of other
>    organisations, maybe already employed or doing work in open data ecosystem
>
>
>    -
>
> hannes:
>
>    -     agree, flexibility of people being employed in related
>    organisations. Helps keep budget of core low.
>
>
>    -
>
> Rufus:
>     Swiss core costs - paid for membership model for orgs and individuals.
> The professional association for open data people
>
> Laura
>
>    - easy for contributed time if folks are employed in related work. Not
>    possible in all countries, depending on state of economy, and in
>    interest/support for in open locally. Countries without this are the ones
>    we should support more
>
>
>    -
>
> Rufus
>
>    - would like feedback on strategy. More distilled than before.
>    Diagram.
>
>
>    - idea that local groups will make change, and OK INternational wil
>    enable/support this
>
>
>    - support for local groups is difficult, people want to fund projects
>    not network engagement and support
>
>
>    - recent months, any discretionary money went to local groups and
>    chapters and network support
>
>
>    -
>
> Rufus:
>
>    -     note latest vision and mission - updated - building on past
>    work. very important to note these. "all essential public interest
>    information"
>
>
>    - diagram
>    https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/125_JL7AIU9rOUpOLKq4twHfcN5vgl6Wx23PF-Zv6CsY/edit
>
>
>
>    -
>
> Pieter:
>
>    -     will there be an expiry date on some projects?
>
>
>    - like a certain time when projects should be spun out?
>
>
>    -
>
> Rufus:
>
>    -     great question
>
>
>    - stewardship. better place to look after projects, run by others,
>    with a stable home
>
>
>    - also retiring projects or spinning out, yes, eg
>    pybossa/crowdcrafting, span out to the guy who worked on it. we have
>    retired proejcts. want to be able to retire or move to stewardship
>
>
>    - hands off or hands on stewardship. legal, financial support,
>    different levels
>
>
>    - if you've had the impact you wanted, wind down or retire.  Going
>    into production on software is a huge investment.
>
>
>    - CKAN $10-15m investment (not from OKF but others) - high risk, huge
>    commitment.
>
>
> Pieter:
>
>    - Should high risk projects such as CKAN still be part of open
>    knowledge?
>
>
> Rufus
>
>    - CKAN is moving to hands off stewardship
>
>
>    - less high risk now anyway
>
>
>    - CKAN Association effort.  will go on but not responsibility of OK
>    international
>
>
>    - chapters could join the CKAN association.
>
>
>    -
>
> Pieter:
>
>    -     if understood correctly, reason for keeping CKAN in OK
>    international is for funding reasons ?
>
>
> Rufus:
>     not quite
>     aspect of commercial revenue, grant funders like to see this
>     setting up a new entity is a real pain, save money by not doing this
>
>    - note CKAN the commercial revenue stream is not the same as CKAN the
>    project [association]
>
>
>    -
>
> Pieter:
>
>    - Belgium decided to spin out commercial things, the data tank, "we
>    open data".  Only community management now in OK Belgium.
>
>
>    - safer for the organisation (OK belgium) because people don't think
>    they are a commercial entity pushing for clients
>
>
>    - better on commercial side too
>
>
>    - not carrying the risk of what happens if people don't need open data
>    portals any more!
>
>
>    -
>
> Rufus:
>     question of what happens to OK International commercial services?
>     also a question for local groups.
>     [notes not taken at Rufus's request]
>     CKAN association, can follow good non profit / FOSS governance
>
>
>
> Denis
>
>    - good news, opening hospital waiting lists!
>    http://openknowledge.ie/projects/open-hospital-waiting-list/   yay!
>
>
>    -
>
> Pieter
>
>    - sad few American / latam people on call given time of call
>
>
>    -
>
> Rufus
>
>    - maybe AC members could individually follow up and encourage
>    attendance?
>
>
>    -
>
> ACTION rufus:  update AC website to include all AC members with
> appropriate bio
> ACTION rufus:   get list of AC emails so that the AC can know how to reach
> each other individually
>
> The meeting closed.
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> okfn-advisory mailing list
> okfn-advisory at lists.okfn.org
> https://lists.okfn.org/mailman/listinfo/okfn-advisory
> Unsubscribe: https://lists.okfn.org/mailman/options/okfn-advisory
>
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://lists.okfn.org/mailman/private/okfn-advisory/attachments/20150519/7d4b8933/attachment-0003.html>