OpenKnowledgeForums

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This page is deprecated. Please see http://www.okfn.org/okforums/.

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About the Open Knowledge Forums

Promoting open information - getting it, using it, sharing it

The Open Knowledge Forums are a series of informal gatherings centred on the subject of open information/data. It aims to bring together those /producing/ and those /campaigning/, and to cover everything from software to the law. The sessions are usually held in the evenings in London and their format is to have talks by three or four different people followed by a general discussion.

The Open Knowledge Forums are organized by the Open Knowledge Foundation: http://www.openknowledgefoundation.org/

Notification List for Further Information and Future Announcements

There is an announce/discuss list on which all notifications of future events will be posted: okforums-discuss@lists.okfn.org.

Please subscribe via: http://lists.okfn.org/mailman/listinfo/okforums-discuss

Forum on Open Content

Where and When

Subject Matter

This forum will focus on 'open content', that is works such as books, music, and films which are provided under terms that allow for free access, redistribution and re-use. Questions to address include:

Forum on Open Geodata

Where and When

Subject Matter

One thing the projects in the civic information forum share, is a dependency for spatial information in their service; even if that's as simple as 'enter my postcode'...

The Open Knowledge Forum on geo-data brings together those who wish to use such data, for example in local government or at NGOs, with those working to produce it (for example by creating free of copyright maps).

The UK is one of the best-mapped surfaces on the planet, but our national mapping resources are highly-priced and administered by a semi-private company that acts as a monopoly based on Crown Copyright.

The Public Sector Information Directive emphasises the benefits and importance of access to geographic information. But local governments don't own the information they gather, and arguably millions are wasted providing expensive "viewing" services which present pictures of the data, instead of raw information.

This forum will be a discussion about different applications with a civic society focus, such as participatory planning or problem reporting, which could be initially built using free base maps and geocoding facilities.

For more information please see:

Forum on Civic Information

Promoting open information - getting it, using it, sharing it

Where and When

Subject Matter

This forum will address the subject of 'civic' information such as:

  1. Reportage of parliament events (e.g. Hansard) and the issue of Crown Copyright
  2. Parliamentary composition and voting
  3. Information on local government officials and activities

The focus will be on both:

Lying behind all of these is that elusive goal of giving the public greater involvement in the democratic system and increasing the accountability of the government to its citizens.

Forum on Civic Information II

See http://www.okfn.org/okforums/civicinfo2/

Suggestions for Future Forums

Open Hardware Information

It is essential for choice in Operating Systems in software that basic information about hardware systems be open. This both reduces the risk of lockin, increases access and democratizes the use of technology.

Suggested speakers:

Open Networks

From Jo Walsh: 


- OFCOM is making plans for secondary trading market in spectrum. 
  freemarketeering on the back of "deregulation" is in. OFCOM's plans
  are spearheading a pan-EU secondary trading market, which the FCC is
  watching carefully. 

- Meanwhile on the ground, the freenetworks movement is building
  second-generation type services which could bootstrap some truly
  local civic information services. Meanwhile the DTI are having
  flashy conferences on 'm-government' and the regulatory 'industry' 
  is arguably far too close to the telcos' influence.


Open Public Archives

Application of simple, well-established standards could open library information into a reference resource infinitely richer than what is available online. Public media becomes increasing digital, and local libraries are closed physically and merged into "Idea Shops". Is the integrity of our public archives assured under current government information practises? Are commercial archiving alternatives enough to satisfy academic and archive library needs?

Speakers:

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