The Web Foundation is happy to share a report on the outcomes of a recent meeting of Open Government Data practitioners that took place in Brasilia on April 26th of this year. Given the increasing interest in Open Data programs around the globe, and the expectations of their implementation, the need for a critical measurement of outcomes and empirical evidence to support such measurement has become ever more important. The Web Foundation has recently begun this work by partnering with the International Development Research Center and the Berkman Center at Harvard University to host the first convening of Open Data Research (South), a gathering of 20 renowned policy-oriented academics from around the globe and representing diverse areas of expertise to develop a research agenda and network to facilitate impact measurement of Open Government Data in the Global South and developing world.

Attendees worked to develop a research agenda to ensure that Open Government Data programs in the Global South meet several key outcomes, namely: that they foster greater openness, support citizens’ rights, and remain inclusive of the citizenry. Key issues of exploration included Open Data’s potential to challenge democratic deficits, create economic value and foster greater inclusion, particularly in the developing world. Full details of each day’s agenda and outcomes can be found in the full report. This is part of an ongoing process; a blog to take forward ideas from the workshop has been also opened.

View or download the report “Fostering a Critical Development Perspective on Open Government Data.“