***This is not a CGD event and will take place at the World Bank offices in Washington, DC***
On February 21, Africa Open Data organized an Ebola Open Data Jam in several locations around the world. The goal of this one day event was to collect publically available data sources of information that describe the healthcare capabilities of Sierra Leone. It is a sad fact of history that many multinational organizations have more data about Sierra Leone and Liberia healthcare than their own Ministries of Health. We were looking for detailed descriptions about hospitals and clinics, doctors, nurses, beds, equipment, ambulances, staff, roads, supply chains, IT and communications capabilities. We wanted to collect and curate this information and make it a gift to the nations of Liberia and Sierra Leone to post it on their Open Data Portal so that they are empowered to know more about their own country and to share that knowledge with the international community so that health governance and patient outcomes can be improved. We know that greater information and transparency is a pre-requisite to public confidence in health services, which itself is a condition for economic recovery.
Open Data is a transformational trend in Open Governance that is generating empowerment and economic growth. Around the world, cities, states, and nations are publishing Open Data and creating new data supply chains and ecosystems that are managing scarce water resources, improving land use and agricultural security, enhancing transportation and traffic flows, and generating new high-tech jobs and tax revenues. Governments themselves are benefiting because published Open Data is free of organizational barriers that hold back departments from sharing information and collaborating.
This Group is designed to be interactive, informative, and fun. It will involve diverse skills and experiences, and showcase real live examples of how Open Data works, African Challenges and opportunities, and example applications. There will be online and real face to face meetups and conferences, online collaboration in global communities working to help Africa become a leader in Open Government and Open Data. Our goal is to create new global relationships that bring passionate Open Data communities together to share common challenges and build new solutions. It doesn't matter where you live, where you were born, or where you work. We are looking for Citizens of the World to work together to help African countries embrace Open Government and Open Data.
More information can be found here.
