FutureEverything: Open Data and the Semantic Web Conference May 13, 2010

In June 2009 FutureEverything embarked on an ambitious programme to open up the City of Manchester's publicly held datasets for the benefit of the residents, businesses and institutions of Manchester. Originally sparked from a thought experiment asking how would a city evolve if all data was open, the Open Data Innovation Ecology project was born. More usually called Manchester Open Data City.

Allowing people to have access to the data that is created by public bodies offers huge potential for technological creativity and innovative thinking. Applications that allow you to make choices about how you could travel in real time could mean that you would no longer wait expectantly at a bus stop or you might decide to travel a different route because it is greener. Because of the relative ease that datasets can be mashed up applications that find the nearest toilet, type of tree or whether your neighbourhood is full of Asbos are created and this is just the beginning.

Open Data is rapidly being seen as a possible solution to a number of problems facing society at the moment. People are loosing faith with the democratic decision making process. Open Data offers the potential of a transparent decision making process where people can see the evidence that informs the policy. It holds those who govern accountable for the decisions that they make.

Open Data has become a global phenomenon over the last six months and the impact it has on society and the way we consume and share information could be revolutionary.

Official Website: http://www.futureeverything.org/festival2010/Open_data