VisualizingOpenData

Visualising open data to bring out global issues
10.07.2013, 19:00
User:ACorbi
Workshop
0€
Zuletzt aktualisiert:	04.06.2013

Our Project

Starting in July 2013 and for one year, we will travel through South-East Europe, Turkey, India, South-East Asia, Japan and South-America.

We would like to take advantage of this opportunity and realise the following project which consists on contacting and meeting people, collectives, universities, creative spaces and other organisations that:

• are actively supporting the fundamentals of Knowledge Sharing.
• act towards making information and culture freely available for everyone.
• use creativity to develop solutions for daily problems or world changing challenges.

In the form of a travel diary, and using open source software technologies, we aim to create an online plattform that will help divulge the philosophy behind open information. This site will showcase different active individuals and groups we will encounter along our journey and constitute a network of knowledge between people from different cultures.

Open-Steps.org

Also, in order to contribute to this purpose ourselves, we are willing to share our experiences and know-how in our professional fields. In line with these encounters, we propose to run the following workshop:

Visualising open data to bring out global issues

Thanks to the large amounts of open data being released for free on the internet, we can take a quick glimpse at current issues characterizing our world. Although, this complex data is sometimes difficult to be understood in its initial form.

By going from theory to practice, we will show where data can be quickly gathered from, and by using open source technologies, put it in a visual context to make relevant issues easy to understand. In addition, attendees will be encouraged to discuss topics involving each of us.

The goal of this workshop is also to increase awareness of the importance and benefits of making information available for everybody and how Knowledge Sharing is one of the steps towards making our planet better.

Table of contents:

• 1. Introduction to Knowledge Sharing and Open Data

• 1.1 How technology has changed the way we access information and why Knowledge Sharing matters.
• 1.2 Examples of administrations and organisations releasing information to the public domain.
• 1.3 Transparency in politics as a way to achieve real democracy.

• 2. There is so much data out there, and its free!

• 2.1 Online sources where you can get open data.
• 2.2 World Bank as major data hub.

• 3. Why visualization matters

• 3.1 Understanding complex problems by looking at simple graphs.
• 3.2 Examples of data visualisations we have developed describing worldwide issues in the fields of Politics, Environment, Education and Social development.

• 4. Practical session

• 4.1 How to build a data visualisation in 5 minutes using free online tools.

• 5. Open debate

• 5.1 Which data would I like to visualise? Attendees have the opportunity to propose topics and relevant data they would consider interesting to explore. Everyone will be also encouraged to publish their own data visualisations on our platform.
• 5.2. Technical questions related to the tools used.

Target groups:

• individuals or collectives.
• interested in open source technologies and the philosophy behind Knowledge Sharing.
• searching for data sources for research.
• working with visualisations.
• developing a conscious approach to global topics.
• having general interest in the topic.