Not only is open data a key issue in the health field, but data and transparency are becoming important issues in other public sectors as well. In fact, more “datapaloozas” are popping up and have recently had great results in bringing together open data advocates, innovators, and policy experts.
USAID joined the open data parade with DataJam, an event at the White House, on December 10th. Innovators and entrepreneurs who use data to reduce poverty and reach global development goals attended and joined USAID Administrator Rjiv Shah and U.S. Chief Technology Officer Todd Park in a discussion on the impact open data can continue to have on global development. Some groundbreaking work they featured included the State Department’s Tech@State and TechCamp, a conference and workshop platform that bring in-country tech experts and entrepreneurs together to solve local ICT problems around the world. They also featured FEWSnet, USAID’s Early Warning System Network, which is launching a challenge to analyze international development data to inform decision-making.
In October, Education Datapalooza brought together more than 150 entrepreneurs, tech developers, education experts, and policymakers. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Todd Park kicked off the event, challenging attendees to make open data tools a game changer in education. Just like health, unleashing student data could create a new realm of possibilities to capture learning trends. Open data could help developers create applications that could inform student decisions on everything from which classes to take to how to pay for college tuition.
Looking down the line, Health Datapalooza IV will be the next major data event. Remember to register now for Early Bird pricing and get in touch with us if you want to exhibit, present or sponsor (only one lead sponsor spot is left).