The Open Data Institute "Opens" for business
On Tuesday, I was lucky enough to attend the official launch of the Open Data Institute (ODI) at their HQ in Shoreditch, London.
For the uninitiated, the ODI has been championed by founder of the web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee and eminent data scientist Prof. Nigel Shadbolt with the aim to create a world-leading centre of open innovation for government, academics and businesses of all sizes.
With support from the UK government of £10 million over 5 years, the ODI have wasted no time in recruiting a cracking leadership team including the founder of green supply chain pioneers AMEE (Gavin Starks) and my Open Data User Group colleague Jeni Tennison.
The ODI have a few simple aims which can be summarised as:
- Creating education programmes to train the next generation of data scientists.
- Assist and advise the public sector on the best ways to release and use open data.
- Work with small & large businesses to improve skills, foster innovation and boost economic gain in the field of open data.
The event itself was attended by a large number of the people who have been involved in the formation of the institute including members of the Technology Strategy Board, various government departments, most of the Open Data User Group and businesses like Deloitte (launching their research into the value of "open").
Speeches were given by Francis Maude MP (again reiterating his views that much like coal or iron, data is the raw material of a new industrial revolution), David Willetts MP (Minister from BIS), Prof Shadbolt, Gavin Starks and (via video), Sir Tim.
It was also fantastic to hear that the ODI had secured its first tranche of private funding ($750k from Omidyar), a first commercial deal for one of the start-ups being mentored at the Institute and a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the World Bank to gather evidence on the benefit of open data globally.
What was most encouraging was the continued support from Mr Maude who clearly recognises the opportunity offered by taking a calculated risk in making the UK one of the most transparent countries in the world. If this can be backed up with more releases of data from the public sector (as being championed by the ODUG), then the future for the ODI is rosy.
The most pressing challenges are obviously for the ODI to secure more funding. This is where big business must get involved and realise that being close to this growing industry is a huge advantage over competitors who choose not to take this opportunity. For the government, more data must be made available that matches the requirements of businesses, society and public sector bodies. With the ODUG already working on business cases with the Data Strategy Board and other government bodies, progress could be made very quickly.
The message is clear: open data is a growing industry with supporters in all sectors around the world. We've reached a tipping point; if data is not released or if businesses do not invest, the UK will not be able to reap the rewards of our early leadership. The time to act is now.
For the uninitiated, the ODI has been championed by founder of the web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee and eminent data scientist Prof. Nigel Shadbolt with the aim to create a world-leading centre of open innovation for government, academics and businesses of all sizes.
With support from the UK government of £10 million over 5 years, the ODI have wasted no time in recruiting a cracking leadership team including the founder of green supply chain pioneers AMEE (Gavin Starks) and my Open Data User Group colleague Jeni Tennison.
The ODI have a few simple aims which can be summarised as:
- Creating education programmes to train the next generation of data scientists.
- Assist and advise the public sector on the best ways to release and use open data.
- Work with small & large businesses to improve skills, foster innovation and boost economic gain in the field of open data.
The event itself was attended by a large number of the people who have been involved in the formation of the institute including members of the Technology Strategy Board, various government departments, most of the Open Data User Group and businesses like Deloitte (launching their research into the value of "open").
Speeches were given by Francis Maude MP (again reiterating his views that much like coal or iron, data is the raw material of a new industrial revolution), David Willetts MP (Minister from BIS), Prof Shadbolt, Gavin Starks and (via video), Sir Tim.
It was also fantastic to hear that the ODI had secured its first tranche of private funding ($750k from Omidyar), a first commercial deal for one of the start-ups being mentored at the Institute and a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the World Bank to gather evidence on the benefit of open data globally.
What was most encouraging was the continued support from Mr Maude who clearly recognises the opportunity offered by taking a calculated risk in making the UK one of the most transparent countries in the world. If this can be backed up with more releases of data from the public sector (as being championed by the ODUG), then the future for the ODI is rosy.
The most pressing challenges are obviously for the ODI to secure more funding. This is where big business must get involved and realise that being close to this growing industry is a huge advantage over competitors who choose not to take this opportunity. For the government, more data must be made available that matches the requirements of businesses, society and public sector bodies. With the ODUG already working on business cases with the Data Strategy Board and other government bodies, progress could be made very quickly.
The message is clear: open data is a growing industry with supporters in all sectors around the world. We've reached a tipping point; if data is not released or if businesses do not invest, the UK will not be able to reap the rewards of our early leadership. The time to act is now.
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