[okfn-discuss] first draft invitation to Open Knowledge 1.0

Tue Dec 12 16:00:35 UTC 2006

Saul Albert wrote:
> Hi Okfnners,
> 
> After some discussion during our last irc meeting, I was tasked with
> writing up a first stab at an invitation to the next OKFN forum event
> in March 2007.
> 
> Here it is - please comment and amend - and crucially - let's discuss
> formats and timing, which are not clear yet, but will be crucial in
> actually starting to invite people.
> 
> In terms of format, I reckon we should go for a few speakers (how many?)
> speakers each area one on modularisation, one on Commercial opportunity,
> then do the rest with open space. I know that leaves little time for
> panels, but to be honest I agree with what tav said on IRC: panels are
> kind of stale.

In my opinion we should go for 3 speakers in each stream each given ~20 
minutes of time. I think we should look at 3-4 streams (3 is maybe more 
realistic given that if we start at 11 and close at 6 and allow 2 hours 
for lunch we only have 5 hours total). Suggested streams are:

   * Open scientific data
   * Open media
   * Open geodata (might also put some civic information in this one)

What do people think.

> As tav suggested, it would be good to make sure we do a good pre-event
> and post-event roundup of information and concentrate on how to
> interlink and take forwards knowledge gained through various meetings,
> collaborations etc.. It would be great to have some innovative and
> open-knowledgey suggestions on how to make that happen - technically,
> format-wise or socially...

Sure -- maybe we could have some pre and post workshops on particular areas.

> Anyway, how's this:
> -------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
>  
>                         Open Knowledge 1.0
>                      Saturday 18th March 2007
>                         Limehouse Town Hall
> 
> 
> Discussions of 'Open Knowledge' often end with licensing wars: legal
> arguments, technicalities, and ethics. While those debates rage on, Open
> Knowledge 1.0. will concentrate on two pragmatic and often-overlooked
> aspects of Open Knowledge: modularisation and commercial opportunity.
> 
> Packaging systems are one of the most inspiring things about using Free
> Software: the ability to install and upgrade constantly updated software
> 'packages', worked on incrementally by thousands of developers.
> Modularisation on a large scale (such as in the Debian 'apt' packaging
> system) allows coherent projects to employ an amazing degree of
> decentralised collaboration and distribution. But what other kinds of
> knowledge can be modularised?  What are the opportunities and problems
> of this approach to forms of knowledge other than Software?

Perfectly put.

> Modularisation also holds a key to commercial opportunity: unrestricted
> access to an ever-changing, modularised landscape of knowledge creates
> commercial opportunities that are not available with proprietary
> approaches. What examples are there of economic systems that function
> with Open Knowledge, and how can those systems be shared? When is
> cooperation with Open Knowledge more economically viable than closed
> competition?

Suggest change final sentence to: When is open knowledge more 
commercially productive than closed?

> 
> Bringing together Open threads from Science, Geodata, Civic Information
> and Media, Open Knowledge 1.0 is an opportunity for people and projects
> to meet, talk and build things. 
> 
> Each thread will have speakers to set the scene, with the rest of the
> day divided between open space formats and workshop activities.
> 
> If you have a presentation or a workshop you would like to give in the
> open space, or you would like to help organise Open Knowledge 1.0,
> please get in touch.
> -----------------------------

That looks great. All we need is a link to the primary web page at:

http://www.okfn.org/okforums/okcon/

> Wiki pages etc. will need to be set up - once we've agreed on the
> basics of the invitation etc. 

Already got a wiki page which anyone can edit at:

http://okfn.org/wiki/okcon/

> Adnan - you have some suggestions for speakers etc. I think it would be
> good to moot those on the list, along with speakers for other threads,
> then format, timing suggestions (could someone suggest a day-plan
> including timings?) and gimmicks, gizmos and strategies for capturing as
> much as possible before and after...

Sounds good.

Regards,

Rufus