What is Open Data?
Open Data is data that anyone can access, use and share. Open Data challenges intelligent and creative minds to provide societal value. Open Data applications allow us to make better use of existing resources and create new products and services. Open Data is also one of the cornerstones of Open Science, a concept central to science practitioners and policy makers of today, promoting (re)use of research data and results amongst scientists, the business community and society as a whole.

Open Data and academic research
In academia, Open Data are used in humanities and cultural heritage research communities (e.g. Journal of Open Humanities Data (JOHD), Europeana); Open Data are also common in the life sciences (e.g. Elixer) and in economics (e.g. World Bank). Some open datasets can be useful to explore societally relevant questions relevant to current policy debates and topics of interest to specific demographics. Open Data is also important for educational purposes (e.g., see Bishop & Kuula-Luumi, 2017).

Open Data applications
Open Data helps to create (new) value for societies, citizens and businesses. There are now several examples of successful startups with innovative applications of Open Data. Appealing examples are available in health, transport, energy and the environmental sector (see ODINE for examples).

I want to work with Open Data. Where to start, who to contact?
A good starting point for information and inspiration on “all things” Open Data is the Open Data Handbook. This online handbook provides case studies, learning resources and networked information on Open Data.

Related.

Support.