International Open Data Roadmap


IODC16: We have entered the next phase in the evolution of the open data movement. Just making data publicly available can no longer be the beginning and end of every conversation about open data. The focus of the movement is now shifting to building open data communities, and an increasingly sophisticated network of communities have begun to make data truly useful in addressing a myriad of problems facing citizens and their governments around the world:

  • More than 40 national and local governments have already committed to implement the principles of the International Open Data Charter;
  • Open data is central to many commitments made this year by world leaders, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Paris Climate Agreement, and the G20 Anti Corruption Data Principles; and
  • Open data is also an increasingly local issue, as hundreds of cities and sub-national governments implement open data policies to drive transparency, economic growth, and service delivery in close collaboration with citizens.

Screen Shot 2017-01-17 at 11.32.32 AMTo further accelerate collaboration and increase the impact of open data activities globally, the Government of Spain, the International Development Research Centre, the World Bank, and the Open Data for Development Network recently hosted the fourth International Open Data Conference (IODC) on October 6-7, 2106 in Madrid, Spain.

Under the theme of Global Goals, Local Impact, the fourth IODC reconvened an ever expanding open data community to showcase best practices, confront shared challenges, and deepen global and regional collaboration in an effort to maximize the impact of open data. Supported by a full online archive of the 80+ sessions and 20+ special events held in Madrid during the first week of October 2016, this report reflects on the discussions and debates that took place, as well as the information shared on a wide range of vibrant global initiatives, in order to map out the road ahead, strengthen cohesion among existing efforts, and explore new ways to use open data to drive social and economic inclusion around the world….(More)”