Open Knowledge Foundation: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 06:04, 14 December 2021

Latest revision as of 11:30, 12 August 2025

(30 intermediate revisions by 23 users not shown)

Line 3:

{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}

{{Infobox organization

| name = Open Knowledge Foundation

| abbreviation = OKF

| logo = Open Knowledge Foundation logo - landscape.pngsvg

| caption =

| type = [[Nonprofit organisation]]

| formation = {{start date and age|df=yes|paren=yes|2004|05|20}}

| founder = [[Rufus Pollock]]

| tax_id vat_id = 05133759<ref name="about-okf">{{cite web

{{cite web

| author = Open Knowledge Foundation

| url = http://okfn.org/about/

| title = About Us

| access-date = 27 April 2011

| archive-date = 6 May 2021

}}</ref>

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210506052333/https://okfn.org/about/

| ___location = 86-90 Paul Street, [[London]], EC2A 4NE, United Kingdom

| url-status = dead

| origins =

}}</ref>

| key_people = [[Rufus Pollock]], [[Renata Ávila Pinto]] ([[CEO]])

| ___location = 86-90 Paul Street, [[London]], EC2A 4NE, United Kingdom

| area_served = International

| origins =

| focus = [[Open knowledge]] broadly, including [[open access]], [[open content]], [[open science]] and [[open data]]

| key_people = [[Rufus Pollock]], [[Renata Ávila Pinto]] ([[CEO]])

| method =

| area_served = International

| revenue =

| focus = [[Open knowledge]] broadly, including [[open access]], [[open content]], [[open science]] and [[open data]]

| num_volunteers =

| owner method =

| revenue =

| website = {{URL|okfn.org}}

| dissolved num_volunteers =

| footnotes owner =

| website = {{URL|okfn.org}}

| dissolved =

| footnotes =

}}

'''Open Knowledge Foundation''' ('''OKF''') is a global, non-profit network that promotes and shares information at no charge, including both content and data.<ref>{{Cite web|title name= Open Knowledge: About|url = https://okfn.org/"about/|website = okfn.org|access-dateokf" = 25 October 2015}}</ref> It was founded by [[Rufus Pollock]] on 20 May 2004 and launched on 24 May 2004<ref>{{cite web |url = https://blog.okfn.org/2004/05/24/open-knowledge-foundation-launched/|title = Open Knowledge Foundation launched|work = Open Knowledge Foundation Weblog|access-date = 25 October 2015|date = 2004-05-24 |first1=Rufus |last1=Pollock }}</ref> in [[Cambridge]], UKEngland. It is incorporated in [[England]] and [[Wales]] as a [[private company limited by guarantee|company limited by guarantee]].<ref>{{Cite web|title name= Open Knowledge: About - Legal notice|url = https://okfn.org/"about/|website = okfn.org|access-dateokf" = 28 July 2019}}</ref> Between May 2016 and May 2019 the organisation was named ''Open Knowledge International'',<ref>{{cite web|title=Open Knowledge International – our new name!|date=23 May 2016|url=https://blog.okfn.org/2016/05/23/open-knowledge-international-our-new-name/ |website=Open Knowledge Foundation }}</ref> but decided in May 2019 to return to ''Open Knowledge Foundation''.<ref>{{cite web|title=For a fair, free and open future: celebrating 15 years of the Open Knowledge Foundation|date=20 May 2019|url=https://blog.okfn.org/2019/05/20/for-a-fair-free-and-open-future-celebrating-15-years-of-the-open-knowledge-foundation/ |first1=Catherine |last1=Stihler |website=Open Knowledge Foundation }}</ref>

== Aims ==

[[File:130413 Hume Norham London Wiki 236.jpg|thumb|[[Joris Pekel]]<ref>{{cite web |author=GitHub Account Name jpekel |url=https://okfn.org/members/jpekel/ |title=Joris Pekel &#124; Extended Profiles &#124; Open Knowledge Foundation |publisher=Okfn.org |date=2011-06-17 |access-date=2013-11-14 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113071007/https://okfn.org/members/jpekel/ |archive-date=13 November 2013}}</ref> presenting at GLAM-WIKI 2013<ref>{{cite web|url=https://uk.wikimedia.org/wiki/GLAM-WIKI_2013/Schedule#S3B |title=GLAM-WIKI 2013/Schedule - Wikimedia UK |publisher=Uk.wikimedia.org |access-date=2013-11-14}}</ref>]]

The aims of Open Knowledge Foundation are:<ref name="about-okf" />

Line 44:

== People ==

[[Renata Ávila Pinto]] joined as the new Chief Executive OfficerCEO of the Open Knowledge Foundation in October 2021.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://blog.okfn.org/2021/10/12/a-new-ceo-for-open-knowledge-foundation-renata-avila/ | title=A new CEO for Open Knowledge Foundation – Renata Ávila| date=2021-10-12 |first1=Vanessa |last1=Barnett |website=Open Knowledge Foundation }}</ref> From February 2019 to August 2020, [[Catherine Stihler]] served aswas CEO., Sheand left the Open Knowledge Foundation to become the CEO of [[Creative Commons]].<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://blog.okfn.org/2020/07/09/catherine-stihler-to-leave-open-knowledge-foundation-to-lead-creative-commons/ | title=Catherine Stihler to leave Open Knowledge Foundation to lead Creative Commons| date=2020-07-09 |website=Open Knowledge Foundation }}</ref> Between 2015–2017, Pavel Richter took on the role of CEO of Open Knowledge Foundation., Pavel washaving formerlybeen Executiveexecutive Directordirector of [[Wikimedia Deutschland]].

The Open Knowledge Foundation Advisory Council includes people from the areas of [[open access]], [[open data]], [[open content]], [[open science]], [[data visualization]] and [[digital rights]]. In 2015, it consisted of:<ref>{{Cite web|title = Open Knowledge: Advisory Council|url = https://okfn.org/about/advisory-council/|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140714223530/https://okfn.org/about/advisory-council/|url-status = dead|archive-date = 14 July 2014|website = okfn.orgOpen Knowledge |access-date = 31 October 2015}}</ref>

{{div col|colwidth=20em}}

*[[Andrew Stott]]

*[[Becky Hogge]]

*[[Benjamin Mako Hill]]

*[[Carolina Rossini]]

*[[Christopher Corbin]]

*[[Daniel Dietrich]]

*[[Denis Parfenov]]

*[[Peter Murray-Rust]]

*[[Sören Auer]]

*[[Glyn Moody]]

*[[Hannes Gassert]]

*[[Lynn M.Combs-Heard]]

*[[Jordan S. Hatcher]]

*[[Jo Walsh]]

*[[Mark Surman]]

*[[Mayo Fuster Morell]]

*[[Nat Torkington]]

*[[Pieter Colpaert]]

*[[Hans Rosling]]

*[[John Naughton]]

*[[Nigel Shadbolt]]

*[[Panagiotis Bamidis]]

*[[Peter Suber]]

*[[Yasodara Cordova]]

Line 75:

== Network ==

As of 2018, Open Knowledge Foundation has 11 official chapters and 38 groups in different countries.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Open Knowledge: The Global Network|url = https://okfn.org/network/|website = okfn.orgOpen Knowledge Foundation|access-date = 7 April 2018}}</ref> In November 2022, the Open Knowledge Network was relaunched with two new projects.<ref>{{cite web |title=Better together than alone: say hello again to the Open Knowledge Network |url=https://blog.okfn.org/2022/11/28/better-together-than-alone-open-knowledge-network/ |website=Open Knowledge Foundation blog |first1=Sara |last1=Petti |access-date=28 November 2022 |date=28 November 2022}}</ref>

It also supports 19 working groups.

{{div col|colwidth=20em}}

* [[Lobbying Transparency]]

* [[Open Access]]

* [[Open Bibliography]]

* [[The Open Definition|Open Definition]]

* [[Open-design movement|Open Design & Hardware]]

* [[Open Development]]

* [[Open Economics]]

* [[Open Education]]

* [[OpenGLAM]]

* [[Open Government Data]]

* [[Open Humanities]]

* [[Linguistic Linked Open Data|Open Linguistics]]

* [[Open Product Data]]

* [[Open Science]]

* [[OpenSpending]]

* [[Open Sustainability]]

* [[Open Transport (project)]]

* [[Personal Data and Privacy]]

* [[Public Domain]]

{{div col end}}

== Operations ==

[[File:Entrevista Michael Bauer CCCB.webm|thumb|Interview with Michael Bauer, Open Knowledge Foundation former employee at [[Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.cccb.org/lab/video_michael-bauer-necessitem-periodistes-per-posar-les-dades-en-context/|title=Michael Bauer: "Necessitem periodistes per posar les dades en context" - Vídeo - CCCB LAB|date=3 June 2013|work=cccb.orgCCCB LAB }}</ref>]]

Many of Open Knowledge Foundation's projects are technical in nature. Its most prominent project, [[CKAN]], is used by many of the world's governments to host open catalogues of data that their countries possess.<ref>{{cite web|last=data.gov.uk|title=Project Info: Who is Involved with the project?|url=http://data.gov.uk/about/|publisher=HM Government|quote=These include the Comprehensive Knowledge Archive Network (CKAN): CKAN stores the catalogue behind data.gov.uk and a growing number of open data registries around the world.}}</ref>

The organisation tends to support its aims by hosting infrastructure for semi-independent projects to develop. This approach to organising was hinted as one of its earliest projects was a project management service called KnowledgeForge, which runs on the [[KForge]] platform. ''KnowledgeForge'' allows sectoral [[working group]]s to have space to manage projects related to open knowledge. More widely, the project infrastructure includes both technical and [[Face-to-face (philosophy)|face-to-face]] aspects. The organisation hosts several dozen mailing lists<ref>{{cite web|last = Open Knowledge Foundation|title = lists.okfn.org Mailing Lists|url = https://lists.okfn.org/mailman/listinfo|access-date = 1 November 2015}}</ref> for virtual discussion, utilises [[IRC]] for real-time communications and also hosts events.

=== Advocacy ===

Open Knowledge Foundation is an active partner with organisations working in similar areas, such as open educational resources.<ref>{{cite web|last = Open Educational Resources Commons|title = About|url = http://www.oercommons.org/about|access-date = 1 November 2015|quote = Strategic Development and Outreach Partners ... Open Knowledge Foundation}}</ref>

Open Knowledge Foundation has produced the [[The Open Definition|Open Knowledge Definition]], an attempt to clarify some of the ambiguity surrounding the terminology of openness,<ref>{{cite web|url = http://opendefinition.org/|title = Open Definition|publisher = Open Definition|date = 2011-06-17|access-date = 1 November 2015}}</ref> as well as the [[Open Software Service Definition]].<ref>{{cite web|url = https://blog.okfn.org/2008/07/14/open-software-service-definition-launched/|title = Open Software Service Definition Launched|access-date = 1 November 2015|date = 2008-07-14}}</ref> It also supported the development of the [[Open Database License]] (ODbL).<ref>{{cite web |last = Creative Commons|title = CC Salon Berlin and openeverything focus – Feb. 26|url = https://creativecommons.org/weblog/entry/12919|access-date = 29 October 2015|date = 2009-02-23}}</ref>

Outside of technology, Open Knowledge Foundation plays a role in advocating for openness broadly. This includes supporting the drafting of reports, facilitating consultation<ref>{{cite web|last = Open Society Foundations|title = Public Feedback Solicited on Access to Information and Open Government Data|url = http://www.soros.org/initiatives/information/focus/communication/news/access-consultation-20100910|access-date = 1 November 2015|date = September 2010|quote = Information Program grantee Access Info Europe, together with the Open Knowledge Foundation, are holding a public consultation on open government data and the right of access to information.|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110108145856/http://www.soros.org/initiatives/information/focus/communication/news/access-consultation-20100910|archive-date = 8 January 2011|url-status = dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last = Electronic Frontier Foundation|title = Digital Rights Management: A failure in the developed world, a danger to the developing world|url = https://www.eff.org/wp/digital-rights-management-failure-developed-world-danger-developing-world|access-date = 1 November 2015|date = 2005-03-23}}</ref> and producing guides.<ref>{{cite web|last = Dietrich|first = Daniel|title = Open Data Manual|url = http://opendatamanual.org/|access-date = 1 November 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130827053435/http://opendatamanual.org/|archive-date = 27 August 2013|url-status = dead}}</ref>

Rufus Pollock, one of Open Knowledge Foundation's founders, and current board secretary sits on the [[UK government]]'s [[Public Sector Transparency Board]].<ref>{{cite web|last = data.govt.uk|title = New Public Sector Transparency Board and Public Data Transparency Principles|url = http://data.gov.uk/blog/new-public-sector-transparency-board-and-public-data-transparency-principles|publisher = HM Government|access-date = 1 November 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110925185118/http://data.gov.uk/blog/new-public-sector-transparency-board-and-public-data-transparency-principles|archive-date = 25 September 2011|url-status = dead}}</ref>

The Prototype Fund is a project of the Open Knowledge Foundation Germany, funded by the [[Federal Ministry of Education and Research]] (BMBF). It is a low-threshold funding program for Germany software developers who develop innovative [[open source software]].

=== Technical ===

Line 124 ⟶ 125:

* Datahub,<ref>{{cite web|url = http://datahub.io/|title = datahub.io|publisher = datahub.io|date = 2006-06-23|access-date = 1 November 2015}}</ref> a community-run catalogue of useful sets of data on the Internet. Depending on the type of data (and its conditions of use), Datahub may also be able to store a copy of the data or host it in a database, and provide some basic visualisation tools.

* Frictionless Data,<ref>{{cite web |title=Frictionless Data |url=https://frictionlessdata.io/ |website=Frictionless Data |access-date=2 February 2019}}</ref> a collection of standards and tools for publishing data.

* Open bibliography, broadly construed as efforts to catalogue and build tools for working with and publishing bibliographic resources,<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.jisc.ac.uk/whatwedo/programmes/inf11/jiscexpo/jiscopenbib.aspx|title = Open Bibliography|publisher = JISC|access-date = 1 November 2015|archive-date = 12 July 2014|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140712145750/http://www.jisc.ac.uk/whatwedo/programmes/inf11/jiscexpo/jiscopenbib.aspx|url-status = dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url = http://openbiblio.net/|title = Open bibliography and Open Bibliographic Data &#124; Open Bibliographic Data Working Group of the Open Knowledge Foundation|work = Openbiblio.net|access-date = 1 November 2015}}</ref> with particular emphasis on those works that are in the [[public ___domain]] and [[public ___domain calculators]]. Examples include the [[Bibliographica]],<ref>{{cite web|url = http://bibliographica.org/|title = Open bibliography and Open Bibliographic Data|work = Bibliographica|date = 2010-05-20|access-date = 1 November 2015}}</ref> [[Public Domain Works]],<ref>{{cite web|url = http://publicdomainworks.net/|title = Home|work = Public Domain Works|access-date = 1 November 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151025023434/http://www.publicdomainworks.net/|archive-date = 25 October 2015|url-status = dead}}</ref> [[Open Shakespeare]],<ref>{{cite web|url = http://openshakespeare.org/|title = Open Shakespeare|publisher = Open Shakespeare|date = 2012-04-27|access-date = 1 November 2015}}</ref> [[Open Text Book]]<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.opentextbook.org/|title = Open Text Book|access-date = 1 November 2015|url-status = dead|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150912064713/http://opentextbook.org/|archive-date = 12 September 2015}}</ref> and [[The Public Domain Review]]<ref>{{cite web|title = ABOUT|url = http://publicdomainreview.org/about/|work = The Public Domain Review|publisher = Open Knowledge Foundation|access-date = 1 November 2015}}</ref> projects.

* OpenGLAM,<ref>{{Cite web|title = The Open Definition - Open Definition - Defining Open in Open Data, Open Content and Open Knowledge|url = http://opendefinition.org|website = opendefinition.org|access-date = 1 November 2015}}</ref> an initiative that promotes free and open access to [[digital cultural heritage]], held by GLAMs: Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://okfn.org/get-involved/working-groups/ |title=Open Knowledge: Working Groups |access-date=21 May 2021 |archive-date=14 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160514084626/https://okfn.org/get-involved/working-groups/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> OpenGLAM is co-funded by the [[European Commission]] as part of the DM2E (Digitised Manuscripts to [[Europeana]]) project.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dm2e.eu/community-building/|title=Workpackage 4: Community building|work=DM2E|date=31 January 2014|access-date=19 October 2015|archive-date=3 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151003215414/http://dm2e.eu/community-building/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

* Open Economics<ref>{{Cite web|title = Open Economics|url = http://openeconomics.net|website = openeconomics.net|access-date = 1 November 2015}}</ref>

* Open Knowledge Forums<ref>{{Cite web|title = Open Knowledge Forums|url = https://discuss.okfn.org|website = discuss.okfn.org|access-date = 1 November 2015}}</ref>

* Information Accessibility Initiative

* Open [[geodata]]<ref>{{Cite web|title = Open Geodata Community {{!}} OSGeo.org|url = http://www.osgeo.org/geodata/community|website = www.osgeo.orgOSGeo |access-date = 1 November 2015}}</ref>

* Guide to open data licensing

* "Get the Data" — a web-site for questions and answer on how to get data sets.

Line 135 ⟶ 136:

=== Events ===

Much of the collaboration with other related organisations occurs via events that the foundation hosts.<ref>{{cite web|last = Holloway|first = Michael|title = PUBLICPublic SECTORsector INFORMATIONinformation: OFFICIALLYofficially BETTERbetter WHENwhen shared SHARED|url = http://www.openrightsgroup.org/blog/2008/public-sector-information-officially-better-when-shared|publisher = Digital Rights Group|access-date = 1 November 2015|date = March 2008|quote = And if you get excited by material that's free to access, reuse or re-distribute, then please come down to tomorrow's OKCon, for a day of seminars and workshops around the theme of 'Applications, Tools and Services'.}}</ref> Its premier event is the '''Open Knowledge Conference''' (OKCon), which has been held occasionally since 2007.<ref>{{cite web|last = Open Knowledge Foundation|title = About|url = http://okcon.org/about/|access-date = 1 November 2015|quote = The Annual [sic] Open Knowledge Conference (OKCon)}}</ref> Other events have been organised within the areas of data visualisation<ref>{{cite web|last = Gehelenborg|first = Nils|title = Workshop on Open Visualization|url = http://network.nature.com/groups/scivis/forum/topics/1498|publisher = Nature Network|access-date = 1 November 2015|url-status = dead|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304023413/http://network.nature.com/groups/scivis/forum/topics/1498|archive-date = 4 March 2016}}</ref> and free information network infrastructure.<ref>{{cite web|last = Doctorow|first = Cory|title = Free Information Infrastructure event in London next weekend|date = 26 September 2005|url = http://www.boingboing.net/2005/09/26/free-information-inf.html|access-date = 1 November 2015}}</ref>

Annually, Open Knowledge Foundation supports [[International Open Data Day]].

===Panton Principles and Fellowships (Open data in Science)===

The [[Panton Principles]] (for Open Data in Science) in 2010 had large contributions from Open Knowledge people and in 2011 Jonathan Gray and [[Peter Murray-Rust]] successfully obtained funding from OSF for two fellowships, held by Sophie Kershaw<ref>{{cite web|url = http://sophiekershaw.wordpress.com/author/sophiekershaw/|title = Sophie Kershaw &#124; The Stilettoed Mathematician|publisher = Sophiekershaw.wordpress.com|access-date = 1 November 2015}}</ref> and Ross Mounce.<ref>{{cite web|last = Mounce|first = Ross|title = CV|url = http://rossmounce.co.uk/cv/|work = Ross Mounce|access-date = 1 November 2015|date = 2012-06-06}}</ref> In 2013 OKF obtained sponsorship from [[Computer & Communications Industry Association|CCIA]]<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.ccianet.org/|title = ccianet.org|publisher = ccianet.org|access-date = 1 November 2015}}</ref> for 3 fellowships, which were awarded to Rosemarie Graves,<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/physics/research/eos/rosie-graves|title = Rosie Graves - University of Leicester|access-date = 1 November 2015}}</ref> Sam Moore, and Peter Kraker.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://scholarlyskywritingspantonprinciples.wordpress.comorg/panton-fellowships/|title = scholarlyPanton Principles: skywritingsPanton Fellowships|access-date = 1 November 2015}}</ref> and Peter Kraker.<ref>{{cite web|urldate = http://science20.wordpress.com/2012-01-12|title = Science and the Web|accessarchive-date = 16 NovemberSeptember 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150906164336/http://pantonprinciples.org/panton-fellowships/|title = Panton Principles: Panton Fellowships|accessurl-datestatus = 1 November 2015|date = 2012-01-12dead}}</ref>

===Other===

[[File:D-cent logo.jpg|thumb|upright=.7|D-CENT logo]]

Open Knowledge Foundation also supports Apps for Europe,<ref>{{Cite web|title = Apps for Europe {{!}} turning data into business|url = http://www.appsforeurope.eu/|website = www.appsforeurope.eu|access-date = 29 October 2015|archive-date = 15 October 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151015160845/http://www.appsforeurope.eu/|url-status = dead}}</ref> and D-CENT, a European project created to share and organise data from seven countries, which is runningran from October 2013 to May 2016.<ref>{{Cite web|title = D-CENT|url = http://dcentproject.eu|website = dcentproject.eu|access-date = 29 October 2015}}</ref>

== See also ==

Line 152 ⟶ 153:

* [[Open education]]

* [[Tactical Technology Collective]]

* [[Sovereign Tech Fund]]

== References ==

Line 157 ⟶ 159:

== External links ==

*{{Commons category-inline|Open Knowledge (organization)}}

*{{Official website|https://www.okfn.org/ }}

*[http://timemapper.okfnlabs.org/okfn/open-knowledge-foundation-history A self-published history of the Open Knowledge Foundation]

Line 174 ⟶ 176:

[[Category:Organisations based in Cambridge]]

[[Category:Organizations established in 2004]]

[[Category:2004 establishments in the United Kingdom]]

[[Category:Public ___domain]]