Why data geeks don't make decisions: bridging the gap between information and influencers. Open data might be fuel, but fuel on its own doesn't get you anywhere. To improve public services you need to translate the raw data material into whatever helps p

Tony White’s new novel Shackleton’s Man Goes South is published by the Science Museum as their Atmosphere commission 2013. The novel was inspired by Tony’s discovery in the archives of a little known science fiction story written in Antarctica in 19

What has science fiction to say about our data future, and how is the future dreamed of by writers in the past already here? Is it all dystopian gloom with self-aware algorithms taking over the world, or is there plenty of room for hope? Hitch a ride wit

The data of democracy and what we can learn from thirty thousand Poles standing in a field. Anthony Zacharzewski, founder of the Democratic Society, talks about the interface between open data and democratic decision-making, and what we can learn from t

On 23 April 2013 the W3C, Open Knowledge Foundation, Open Government Partnership met with and at the Open Data Institute to get to know one another. This is a recording of the speeches that took place that included: Nigel Shadbolt Gavin Starks Phil Archer

Friday Lunchtime Lectures at the Open Data Institute, 22 March 2013. Has most of government data released openly so far been flytipping, little used and of little value? David Mitton, of ListPoint, will discuss how more value from government data can b

The National Pupil Database monitors over 400 variables, covering every year of a child’s education from nursery to A-levels. Anyone who attended state schooling in England since 1997 is included; data is taken automatically from school systems and is n

The Victorians built vast galleries and museums to house cultural and scientific collections; they were opened to the public and used for educational research. But what are their digital equivalents? Continuing our investigation into Data as Culture, Bi

When all around you seems to be going "open", what should you know and bear in mind to avoid a privacy debacle. Unless your data is solely about inanimate objects, there will be privacy considerations for your business or organisation. Done properly, su

This is the recording of a webinar run by Dr David Tarrant to introduce the ODI Postgraduate Certificate in Open Data Technologies with the University of Southampton. To view the corresponding slides mentioned in the webinar go to: To understand more abou