State of Open Data

Histories and Horizons

Taking stock of progress to date and exploring the issues that will shape the future of open data in the years to come

    A new online publication of the State of Open Data is now available which includes updates to 30 chapters and a vision for a reinvigorated open data agenda for the future based on input from key actors from across the open data community. Check out all the blogs and publications below for an update on the impact of open data to date and the major challenges still to be addressed.

About

The State of Open Data

Over the past 15 years, countless projects and initiatives around the world have used open data to address a myriad of socio-economic development challenges. More recently, the open data movement has fully entered a new phase in its evolution, shifting to target real-world problems and embed open data thinking into other existing or emerging communities of practice, but big questions still remain. How are open data initiatives responding to new concerns about privacy, inclusion, and artificial intelligence? And what have we learned about how to deliver impact where it is most needed? The original 2019 publication of The State of Open Data brought together more than 60 authors from around the world to take stock of the progress made to date and uncover the issues shaping the open data movement. Now D4D.net is updating the original publication to explore recurring and emerging issues impacting the use of open data and the role it will play in the rapidly evolving ‘data for development’ movement.

 

To accompany the process, we are hosting a series of roundtables to gather perspectives on the recent use and impact of open data around the world on issues ranging from artificial intelligence and data protection to climate action, gender, and health, and so much more. The roundtables will provide an opportunity to discuss real-world lessons that we can build upon. 

    The State of Open Data cover

    State of Open Data

    First Edition

    Click here for the 1st edition of the State of Open Data.

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    State of Open Data

    2nd Edition

    Click here for 2nd Edition updates to the State of Open Data

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The Roundtables

Events

The State of Open Data Roundtables - Series 4

Exploring the issues that will shape the future of open data in the years to come

This series of roundtables took place November 21-24, 2023 and brought together experts to discuss the state of data and recent developments in Health, Government Finances, Geospatial, and Urban Development.

Events

The State of Open Data Roundtables - Series 3

Exploring the issues that will shape the future of open data in the years to come

This series of roundtables took place April 13-20, 2023 and brought together experts to discuss the state of data and recent developments in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

Events

The State of Open Data Roundtables - Series 2

Exploring the issues that will shape the future of open data in the years to come

This series of roundtables took place November 2-4 in 2022 and brought together experts to discuss the state of data and recent developments in Education, Corporate Ownership, Crime and Justice, Agriculture, and Land Ownership

Events

The State of Open Data Roundtables Series 1

Exploring the issues that will shape the future of open data in the years to come

This series of roundtables took place June 22-24 in 2022 to gather perspectives on the recent use and impact of open data around the world - focusing on national statistics, artificial intelligence, climate action, gender equality, and anti-corruption

More events

News

Blog

Latin America and the State of Open Data

Advance Update on the State of Open Data 2nd Edition

This update on the State of Open Data chapter on Latin America and the Caribbean outlines how the data agenda has changed in the region and points to the challenges and opportunities of the future.

Blog

Health and the State of Open Data

Advance Update on the State of Open Data 2nd Edition

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the collection, sharing, and use of health data. This update explores the lessons learned from the pandemic and provides an overview of progress in key action areas, such as data interoperability and health governance. 

Blog

Land Ownership and the State of Open Data

Advance Update on the State of Open Data 2nd Edition

Changes in open land data collection and use have been evolutionary, rather than revolutionary. Going forward, there are key challenges to be addressed, starting with the need to enhance the capacity of local data custodians to manage their data.

Blog

AI and the State of Open Data

Advance Update on the State of Open Data 2nd Edition

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping our world. From supply chains, insurance claims, and hospital care to welfare, content moderation, and climate action, data-hungry AI systems are being deployed to drive research, shape policy, and make day-to-day decisions. 

Blog

Corporate Ownership and the State of Open Data

Advance Update on the State of Open Data 2nd Edition

This update to the State of Open Data Corporate Ownership chapter focuses on how beneficial ownership transparency has progressed to identify trends, emerging good practices, and mid- to long-term challenges.

Blog

The Middle East, North Africa, and the State of Open Data

Advance Update on the State of Open Data 2nd Edition

This update looks at how open data in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) has been impacted by recent global and local events, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine war which have created economic, political, and social disruptions.

Blog

Measurement and the State of Open Data

Advance Update on the State of Open Data 2nd Edition

This update looks at the development of open data measurement over the past five years, combining a review of global rankings methods with a review of academic and grey literature on open data measurement.

Blog

Climate Action and the State of Open Data

Advance Update on the State of Open Data 2nd Edition

This update outlines the big challenges for open climate data, why we need it, what data is available, and where the big gaps and opportunities lie when looking ahead.

Blog

Indigenous Data Sovereignty and the State of Open Data

Advance Update on the State of Open Data 2nd Edition

This update to the 2019 State of Open Data chapter outlines what has happened in the Indigenous Data Sovereignty space in the last four years and highlights the challenges and priorities for the future. 

Blog

Urban Development and the State of Open Data

Advance Update on the State of Open Data 2nd Edition

This update aims to contribute to a deepening of the 'Third Wave of Open Data' and highlights the significance of open data at the subnational level as a more direct and immediate response to the on-the-ground needs of citizens.

Blog

Sub-Saharan Africa and the State of Open Data

Advance Update on the State of Open Data 2nd Edition

This update to the chapter on Sub-Saharan Africa traces the progression of open data activities on the continent. Focusing on the last four years, it examines the varying opportunities and challenges faced by open data actors in Africa. 

Blog

Privacy and the State of Open Data

Advance Update on the State of Open Data 2nd Edition

This update to the Privacy chapter looks at how digitization amplifies privacy risks in the context of the growing demand for access to a broad range of government data.

Blog

Development Assistance, Humanitarian Action and the State of Open data

Advance Update on the State of Open Data 2nd Edition

This update argues that after more than a decade of work generating commitments to development and humanitarian aid transparency, we are also now encountering cynicism and fatigue on many fronts.

Blog

Transport and the State of Open Data

Advance Update on the State of Open Data 2nd Edition

This update takes stock of the development of data-driven transport tools and open data driven approaches to transport data and outlines the challenges that remain in the way of fulfilling the true potential of open transport data.

Blog

Education and the State of Open Data

Advance Update on the State of Open Data 2nd Edition

This update reiterates the importance of open data in driving the advancement of critical data literacy and stresses the use of open data as an open educational resource in an increasingly datafied society.

Blog

Gender Equity and the State of Open Data

Advance Update on the State of Open Data 2nd Edition

This update explores the move from binary to intersectionality - the main development in open data and gender in recent years - and uses a power dynamics lens to examine three main components: data publication, data use, and decision-making. 

Blog

Data Literacy and the State of Open Data

Advance Update on the State of Open Data 2nd Edition

In the 2019 chapter on Data Literacy, it was addressed as one of the key challenges to the success of the open data movement. In 2022, the challenge remains, though there have been important developments and advances in data literacy. 

Blog

Agriculture and the State of Open Data

Advance Update on the State of Open Data Second Edition

This chapter update describes the efforts, improvements, and continuing challenges that have taken place in open data in agriculture over the last four to five years in connecting stakeholders, ethics, capacity, policy-making, and standards. 

Blog

National Statistics and the State of Open Data

Advance Update on the State of Open Data 2nd Edition

National Statistical Offices have led the work on open data, setting an example for other national data producers. However, despite the widespread adoption of open data standards, recently progress in some countries has slowed or even been reversed. 

Blog

South, East, and Southeast Asia and the State of Open Data

Advance Update on the State of Open Data 2nd Edition

In 2019, the chapter on South, East, and Southeast Asia reported that open data initiatives in the region were primarily focused on supply-side interventions. Four years on, things remain much the same.

Blog

Telecommunications and the State of Open Data

Advance Update on the State of Open Data 2nd Edition

This update to the 2019 chapter takes stock of notable developments over the last four years, including progress on an open fibre data standard to help organizations produce reusable, and open data about fibre networks.

Blog

Crime & Justice and the State of Open Data

Advance Update on the State of Open Data 2nd Edition

The availability of open data on crime and justice plays an essential role in driving justice provision. The relevance of open data is linked to its potential reuse aimed at fostering access to justice and tackling existing legal needs. 

Blog

Accountability, Anti-corruption and the State of Open Data

Advance Update on the State of Open Data 2nd Edition

We must develop locally-led strategies for improving the availability of data for accountability and anti-corruption purposes. Strategies need to advance binding requirements for data publication.

Blog

New Horizons - The State of Open Data in 2024

An Overview of the 2nd Edition of the State of Open Data

An overview of the 2nd Edition of the State of Open Data which takes stock of key developments over the last few years and explores the issues that will shape the future of open data in the years to come.

Blog

Data Infrastructure and the State of Open Data

Advance Update on the State of Open Data 2nd Edition

Over the last five years there has been a great deal of research and debate around the need for continued investment in the development and scaling of data infrastructures across a range of domains.

Blog

The European Union and the State of Open Data

Advance Update on the State of Open Data 2nd Edition

This update to the first State of Open Data identifies the main advances and and the challenges that still remain where there is insufficient openness of key data to ensure government accountability.

Blog

Eastern Europe and Central Asia and the State of Open Data

Advance Update on the State of Open Data 2nd Edition

This update to the first edition of the State of Open Data and explores open data in Eastern European countries, including the Balkan region, the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine, and the Caucasus. 

 

Blog

North America, Australia, New Zealand and the State of Open Data

Advance Update on the State of Open Data 2nd Edition

While there has been a slow down in the open data movement, we are observing the emergence of a greater understanding of the wider data spectrum and innovative data use. 

Blog

Government Finances and the State of Open Data

Advance Update on the State of Open Data 2nd Edition

This update takes stock of developments over the last five years and concludes that although there has been important progress, it has not been enough to enable the effective use of government finance data.

More articles

Check out all the updates to The State of Open Data, reviewing the evolution of open data over the past 5 years since the 1st edition published in 2019 with new contributions from authors and data specialists around the world.