what’s next in open data & IATI publishing?

“Impact is what matters and open data is the gateway to more effective and lasting impact in the development sector”.

The International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) standard offers an opportunity to increase the effectiveness of projects in developing countries by increasing transparency and simplifying the exchange of information. Publishing data in the IATI format can help organisations and their stakeholders get a better grip on the quality of their information and on their impact.

The IATI data can for example be used to tell your story to a broader public based on data visualization. Donors and local actors can trace the financial streams and the results. If organizations increasingly use the IATI standard, it demonstrates who works where, in which sectors and who implements which projects. The coordination and cooperation between organisations can be strengthened this way.

The added value of open data and data standards like IATI for development is in making information about the results of the projects accessible. In order for civil society and civilians in developing countries to get more insight into which projects are funded by which international organisations – and on a longer term where their own governments invest – and with which results. In other words more impact through transparent data.

On Wednesday July 6th, Data4Development is organising a workshop to discuss this. The focus will be on learning, exchanging experiences, and formulating recommendations for the use of IATI and open data as the updates for the second quarter are about to be published. Organisations in a Strategic Partnership with the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs had to publish their first data sets before May 1st. Sharing lessons learned and experiences will help in further improving data quality and relevance.

How did the process go, and what insights and learning points did it bring?

We’ll work with four case studies of organisations, including the Ministry, and offer opportunities to jointly explore ideas.

  • Network with organisations that publish IATI data and want to use open data.
  • Expand your knowledge of the possibilities and challenges of publishing IATI data.
  • Exchange knowledge and experiences about data and information management.

 

More information (in Dutch) is available at the Data4Development website.

Data4Development is working to deliver a broad range of IATI related services, from technical advice and feedback on data to ICT and information system change management and improving (open) data and information quality.

This event has been sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, City of The Hague, Partos and New World Campus.