[open-development] Open Development Birds of a Feather at OKCon

Sun Jul 3 14:06:11 UTC 2011

Dear all,

I was unfortunately unable to attend the conference in Berlin, and I have
yet to meet anyone other than Tim face-to-face so it would indeed be very
helpful (especially to a lurker such as myself) to read what others are up
to.

I am immersed in a sea of literature at the moment as I am attempting to
finish my conceptual framework for my PhD dissertation. I am just at the
start of my degree.

I suppose at the moment I am exploring the conceptual soundness of open
development and how fit the ideas are to inform practice. I would definitely
be willing to contribute to a bibliography, I think that's a great idea.

Is this wiki page: http://wiki.okfn.org/Wg/development the only workspace
that this group has had? Or is it that most people on this list are
organisation workers, and are doing separate things in their own spaces? I'm
not really sure how this group operates. I signed up for a bunch of
open/linked/data/development lists, and none of them are very active, so I'm
still wondering what each list is for!!

Thanks,

Caitlin

2011/7/2 Tim Davies <tim at practicalparticipation.co.uk>

> Hey all,
>
> Some of us managed to get together at OKCon in Berlin on Friday to meet
> face-to-face and to share some updates on different Open Development
> activities going on. I think everyone who was in that discussion is also on
> this list, so I'd encourage you all to drop a note to the list as well with
> a brief update on things you are working on. My own (very incomplete) notes
> on some of the things discussed, and some reflections on possible things for
> the future are below. It would be even more fantastic if those who were not
> in Berlin could also share any updated on the list about current projects /
> thoughts / things you are thinking about / ideas for action - big or small.
>
> By way of my own input: The two main things I'm working on at the moment:
>
> *1) Open & Linked Information Infrastructures - with IKM Emergent*
> Looking at some further practical pilot work around Linked Information
> taking survey data from Young Lives and turning it into Linked Data and
> building interfaces onto it; and trying to get a project going around
> 'Social Life of Data' (
> http://www.practicalparticipation.co.uk/odi/sociallifeofdata/) to explore
> how open development eco-systems are more than just datasets. Also working
> on a paper around linked data in development, which has included some
> mapping of available development datasets. Details on that (and a list of
> datasets which someone might like to add to CKAN if they've some time going
> spare...) here: http://practicalparticipation.co.uk/odi/
>
> *2) Aid Info Labs / IATI *
> I'm also working a couple of days a week for the next few months with Aid
> Info on supporting infomediaries and users of International Aid Transparency
> Initiative Data. Blogging about tools, resources etc. at
> http://www.aidinfolabs.org and very keen to hear ideas about what we
> should be doing to make sure all stakeholders in development aid can make
> effective use of the aid transparency and aid activities data that's
> starting to flow through the IATI initiative.
>
> I'm also doing some small bits around linked data and DFID research
> meta-data (from Research 4 Development) - and very interested in finding out
> what others working on making research data openly available are doing in
> linked data terms.
>
> *And by way of a few other quick notes from Friday's BoF:*
>
>    - I think it's really important that we frame this group as 'open
>    development' not just 'open data for development' - recognising data is part
>    of the eco-system, but not the only part. We need to be encouraging and
>    advocating for open collaboration, resource and information sharing as well
>    as opening of data;
>
>    - That said, there are some interesting bits of data infrastructure
>    that could help link up open information and content - particularly taxonomy
>    mapping tools that might help with some silo breaking. This might be
>    something the open development group could explore.
>
>    - There was a really good suggestion in discussions (from Tobias I
>    think) around developing a place for FAQs about opening and accessing
>    development information. I wonder if something like GetTheData.org (but
>    framed perhaps as 'open for advice?' and linked in with 'open for change')
>    could be useful? We could talk with OKF about setting up a quick install of
>    the same tool if that was seen as a useful way to get knowledge sharing on
>    the practical stuff flowing more;
>
>    - It might be an idea as well to put together a short open development
>    bibliography: does anyone have one already? Is anyone up for helping create
>    one?
>
>    - Lastly, there was some talk of creating resources to help people plan
>    hack-day events, and to make them really issue-focussed (e.g. getting
>    communities in to really explain the challenges to be solved; having
>    specific 'water' or 'eco' or 'local economic development' focus in things).
>    This sounds like a fab idea too... I'd be up for collaborating on that if
>    someone was up for co-ordinating putting such a resource together...
>
>
> Sorry for such a long e-mail!
>
> All the best
>
> Tim
>
> --
>
>
> http://www.timdavies.org.uk
> 07834 856 303.
> @timdavies
>
> Co-director of Practical Participation:
> http://www.practicalparticipation.co.uk
> --------------------------
> Practical Participation Ltd is a registered company in England and Wales -
> #5381958.
>
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>
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