Eldis and partners join the Open Knowledge Hub launch
21st November 2014
Members of the Eldis team, and some of our partners, were at the Open Development Camp in Amsterdam on October 10th to formally launch the Open Knowledge Hub.
The hub is a collaborative “Open Data” platform for sharing digital content about development that aims to improve the supply and accessibility of content that supports evidence-informed policy making and practice by development actors. A key aspect of the hub’s design is to raise the profile of diverse perspectives on development, paying particular attention to research content from developing countries.
Here at Eldis we contribute our open content to the hub so that it can be easily repackaged and re-used by others to present credible and relevant content on their own websites and tailor it to their own audiences and contexts. We also use the Hub ourselves as a way to source new, relevant, high quality research content for our own Resource Guides and other services.
These two data visualisations give a real-time view of how Eldis contributes to and uses the Hub’s content. Click on the images to open the full interactive versions.
If you would be interested in contributing your content to Eldis and OKhub.org contact us here...
In this video, filmed at the Open Knowledge Hub Eldis partner meeting earlier this year, members of the IDS team and partners discuss the project and it’s likely benefits for those using and contributing to the Open Knowledge Hub.
For more information on the Open Knowledge Hub project and to access the Hub data go to the website.
This is where the Open Knowledge Hub project comes in. By joining with other online services globally we have been able to work together in developing shared open data systems and standards and to share learning, and collaborate on the delivery of our services in areas such as quality assurance, promotion, monitoring and evaluation and technical development. This in turn increases our collective capacity to engage with and innovate with open data and really become familiar with the open data environment.
"…the Oriel Open Knowledge Hub project works collaboratively with partners, using peer support to help think through the issues and implications of opening up data, through shared learning and via technical development… Working together in this way will enable us to share content better and to link us all into the new world of open knowledge… "
Peter Mason, Technical Lead, Oriel Open Knowledge Hub.
The current Eldis partners engaged in the project are:
The Oriel Open Knowledge Hub is an output of the Global Open Knowledge Hub (GOKH) project, an IDS programme funded by DFID from April 2013 to April 2016.
The hub is a collaborative “Open Data” platform for sharing digital content about development that aims to improve the supply and accessibility of content that supports evidence-informed policy making and practice by development actors. A key aspect of the hub’s design is to raise the profile of diverse perspectives on development, paying particular attention to research content from developing countries.
Here at Eldis we contribute our open content to the hub so that it can be easily repackaged and re-used by others to present credible and relevant content on their own websites and tailor it to their own audiences and contexts. We also use the Hub ourselves as a way to source new, relevant, high quality research content for our own Resource Guides and other services.
These two data visualisations give a real-time view of how Eldis contributes to and uses the Hub’s content. Click on the images to open the full interactive versions.
If you would be interested in contributing your content to Eldis and OKhub.org contact us here...
| OKhub.org content used by Eldis | Eldis content available in OKhub.org |
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In this video, filmed at the Open Knowledge Hub Eldis partner meeting earlier this year, members of the IDS team and partners discuss the project and it’s likely benefits for those using and contributing to the Open Knowledge Hub.
For more information on the Open Knowledge Hub project and to access the Hub data go to the website.
Background
Increasing the availability and accessibility of global development research is the core business of Eldis. In recent years we’ve seen the growing ‘Open Data’ movement and accelerating use of open systems for sharing and contextualisation of development knowledge and in 2011 we opened up access to our own content through our Open API. We believe these developments hold great potential for improving decision making and contributing to broad development goals. However, in opening up our own content we became aware that the use of these systems also risks widening, rather than diminishing, digital divides in the availability, accessibility and visibility of research evidence – particularly where that evidence is being generated by stakeholders in developing countries. These stakeholders risk being disadvantaged by a lack of resources and technical capacity to engage with these emerging open systems.This is where the Open Knowledge Hub project comes in. By joining with other online services globally we have been able to work together in developing shared open data systems and standards and to share learning, and collaborate on the delivery of our services in areas such as quality assurance, promotion, monitoring and evaluation and technical development. This in turn increases our collective capacity to engage with and innovate with open data and really become familiar with the open data environment.
"…the Oriel Open Knowledge Hub project works collaboratively with partners, using peer support to help think through the issues and implications of opening up data, through shared learning and via technical development… Working together in this way will enable us to share content better and to link us all into the new world of open knowledge… "
Peter Mason, Technical Lead, Oriel Open Knowledge Hub.
The current Eldis partners engaged in the project are:
- International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie)
- Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC)
- Practical Action Latin America Regional Office (PAC LA)
- Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research (IGIDR)
- Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) – SocioEconomic Research Portal for the Philippines (SERP-P)
- Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP)
The launch
The Hub launch took place on Friday 10 October at the Open Development Camp 2014. As part of the launch plan, IDS hosted a panel discussion asking participants to focus on the present realities of open content in the field of international Development. The discussion explored a) where are we now? And b) what are the challenges of operating in a multilingual/ multi genre world. The event was webcast and is available to watch on Vimeo here...The Oriel Open Knowledge Hub is an output of the Global Open Knowledge Hub (GOKH) project, an IDS programme funded by DFID from April 2013 to April 2016.