[open-government] Introducing the CKAN Association

[Rufus Pollock]

Hi All,

I'm really delighted to be able to announce the creation of the CKAN
"Association":

*http://ckan.org/2014/03/18/introducing-the-ckan-association/*<http://ckan.org/2014/03/18/introducing-the-ckan-association/>

The Association will manage and oversee the CKAN project going forward,
supporting the growth of CKAN, its community and stakeholders.

CKAN is the widely-used open-source software for powering open data sites
and portals. Over the last few years CKAN has seen rapid growth in terms of
technology, deployments, and the community. It is now the basis of dozens
of major sites around the world, including national data portals in the UK,
US, Canada, Brazil, Australia, Germany, Austria and Norway. There also has
been substantial growth in the developer and vendor community deploying,
customising and working with CKAN.

As with many open-source projects when they achieve a certain size, the
time has come to bring some more structure to the community of CKAN
developers and users. By doing so we aim to provide a solid foundation for
the future growth of the project, and to empower more explicitly its
growing array of stakeholders.

Key aspects of the Association are:

   - A Steering Group <http://ckan.org/about/association/#steering-group> and
   Advisory Group which oversee the project and represent stakeholders.
   - Specific teams to look after particular areas such as a "Technical
   Team" <http://ckan.org/about/association/#technical-team> to oversee
   technical development and a "Content and Outreach
team"<http://ckan.org/about/association/#content-and-outreach-team> to
   oversee materials (including project website) and drive community engagement
   - Membership to allow stakeholders to contribute to the longer-term
   sustainability of the project - more below

The Association has its formal institutional home at the Open Knowledge
Foundation but is autonomous and has its own independent governance, in the
form the Steering Group which is drawn from major CKAN stakeholders. The
Open Knowledge Foundation, who are the original creators of CKAN, will
continue to contribute to CKAN at all levels but the Association allows
others - from government users to suppliers of CKAN services - to have a
formal role in the development of the CKAN project going forward.

More information including a set of frequently asked questions in the
announcement post:

*http://ckan.org/2014/03/18/introducing-the-ckan-association/*<http://ckan.org/2014/03/18/introducing-the-ckan-association/>
Membership

The CKAN Association will have members. Membership is a way for
individuals, companies and organisations to support the CKAN Project and be
recognised for doing so. By becoming a member you are helping to ensure the
long-term sustainability of CKAN.

Member organizations are expected to contribute resources - either through
contributing money or providing in-kind resources such as staff time.
Members receive recognition for their contribution through display on the
website, participation in events etc.

You can find more information about membership here
>><http://ckan.org/about/association/#membership>

All feedback on any of this are very welcome. We are still in early stages
of developing the Association and there are no doubt many things to improve
and refine!

All the best,

Rufus
-- 


*Rufus PollockFounder and CEO | skype: rufuspollock | @rufuspollock
<https://twitter.com/rufuspollock>The Open Knowledge Foundation
<http://okfn.org/>Empowering through Open Knowledgehttp://okfn.org/
<http://okfn.org/> | @okfn <http://twitter.com/OKFN> | OKF on Facebook
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