Open Data meets Development

Registration is now open!

Would anybody argue that aid transparency is a bad thing? Probably not. But what do you mean by aid transparency? Definitions of aid transparency may range from annual reports in pdf format to open access to donor databases. What type of aid transparency is necessary to improve the effectiveness of aid and how exactly does transparency of information make a difference?

While the development community is discussing aid transparency in the context of aid effectiveness, other public sectors have been experimenting with open data for some time. Government administrations, city councils and other public bodies around the world are opening up their data to generate economic benefit, to improve administration and to increase their accountability. Is aid transparency the same as open data? It is time to link aid transparency to the broader open data movement and to promote the debate on what aid transparency means in concrete terms.  

In order to stimulate the debate on aid transparency and open data in Germany, Switzerland and Austria OpenAid, the Heinrich Böll Foundation, OKFN, Transparency International Germany and aidinfo are currently organising an open aid data in Berlin at the end of September. The main theme for this event will be “development” meets “open data”. More specifically the event has four objectives:

• to illustrate the role of aid transparency for aid effectiveness with theoretical input and practical examples

• to present the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) supported but not yet implemented by the German and the Swiss Government

• to introduce participants to the concept of open data and its economic, social and administrative impact in other public sectors

• to stimulate the debate among development practitioners, parliamentarians, government staff and researchers on how to promote aid transparency.

While we are very happy to have great speakers on aid transparency including Jörg Faust from the German Development Institute and Peter Eigen the founder of Transparency International and EITI, the event will not remain at the theoretical level. Instead, there will be a “guided tour” of open data examples within development cooperation but also from other sectors. This will allow participants to get a feel and a very concrete idea of what open aid data could mean in very practical terms and what its added value is. Among the exciting examples on our list are the Mapping for Results Project of the Worldbank and the AKVO from the Netherlands.

The conference on open aid data is preceded by two other events, that are more practical: The Open Knowledge Foundation Germany will organise a hackday using IATI and other aid data to showcase the use of open aid data. Parallel to the hackday aidinfo from the UK will offer a data analysis training for NGO policy staff. Like the conference itself these two side-events are hopefully bringing together development experts and open data enthusiasts and result in fruitful exchanges and in exciting collaborations.

The open aid data event is hosted and generously supported by the Heinrich Böll Foundation in the heart of Berlin. Another sponsors so far is the ONE campaign. Registration is now open here.