Open Data Watch – Our Story in 2018
2018 was a productive and busy year at Open Data Watch. We launched reports, created new partnerships while strengthening old ones, traveled the world as a champion for open data and gender data.
Marriage & Divorce Certificates for Women’s Empowerment
When vital life events – such as births, deaths, marriages, and divorces – are systemabtically recorded in CRVS systems, they provide proof of identity and legal status that are particularly beneficial to women and girls. They also provide sex-disaggregated demographic data for better policies and planning.
World Data Forum: Catalyzing the Use of Official Statistics
A two-part research project on NSO data use was presented at the World Data Forum. One part seeks to understand perceptions of data use through snap polls. The other looks at potential ways to measure actual data use.
New Look for the ODW Website
Just as the Data Revolution is constantly changing and innovating, we try to refresh the ODW website regularly to respond to changing use.
IODC 2018: New Perspectives, Finding Common Ground, Listening & Learning
For the International Open Data Conference (IODC) in Buenos Aires, where the focus is on a key action item of the Cape Town Global Action Plan and a related report to the UN Statistical Commission — Open Data — the ODW team arrives with three main goals.
World Data Forum Preview: Catalyzing the Use & Impact of Official Statistics for SDGs
A new collaborative research study to be presented to the October 2018 World Data Forum in Dubai finds potential ways to innovate and modernize national statistical systems to catalyze the use and impact of official statistics for sustainable development.
Country Engagement Reaches New High
In step with countries announcing commitment to improve the openness of official statistics, the ODIN team has redoubled efforts to assist with identifying available datasets and to strengthen mutual understanding of the practical challenges and benefits of the assessment methodology and the resulting scores.
Oman Creates Strong Action Plan for Official Statistics
Although the research phase of the 2018/2019 assessments for the Open Data Inventory (ODIN) is already underway, countries still have time to make changes to improve their ODIN scores, as recently exemplified by the country engagement process in Oman.
Lessons Learned for Financing a Global Pact for Development Data
The UN’s Cape Town Global Action Plan for Sustainable Development Data (CTGAP) calls for urgent action on a global pact to modernize and strengthen national statistical systems in lower-income countries where, despite being under-resourced and under-staffed, they face increasing demands from data users and increasing needs to measure SDGs.
Understanding the Value & Impact of Data
Why do investments in data remain low, despite the often cited need for high-quality data to guide policies and promote evidence-based decision making for sustainable development?