Open Data Camp 2024

The ninth Open Data Camp took place at the MECD building on the University of Manchester campus. It was organised as an unconference, a space in which attendees propose and choose sessions they want to run or attend to on the same day, collaboratively.

Open Data Camp is an inclusive space in which there are no wrong questions. The camp started with an introductory session for beginners, the acronyms were explained and participation was encouraged in all sessions. One of the sessions explored the role of communities in getting and using data, and also in asking for the data they need. We also discussed the role of gamification and the risks of using it for collecting data.

We started a collaborative directory of tools people use when working with data and discussed the limitations for getting data from different sources and combining them. The collaboration between the public and the private sector was also mentioned, explaining current challenges and possible solutions under the new government.

There was another session about the data available about energy consumption and how it can be used by organisations for setting goals for reducing their energy usage, based on the predictions of energy supply. Tensions between data collected and big corporations seeking competitive advantage were also addressed at another session.

It was a weekend full of interesting conversations in which there were contributions from academy, public sector and private sector actors. It is important to mention the role of Open Data Manchester in making this Open Data Camp happen. Open Data Manchester is an organisation that promotes responsible data practices by offering advice and advocacy through projects in different areas. Last January/February, Open Data Manchester organised several workshops for workers of the public and non-public sector in which they explored the topic Putting people first in AI. The outcomes of these workshops can be found in the document Giving the Public a Say in the Use of Automated Decision-Making.

Do you want to explore how technology can help your community? Do you want the members of your community to learn about how their data is used on AI and what are the privacy implications of it? Get in touch for seeing how Pau&Company can help.