The Open Data Charter (ODC) is a collaboration between governments and experts working to open up data. It was founded in 2015 around six principles (see below) for how governments should be publishing information. The aspiration was that data should be open by default, timely and interoperable. More than 150 governments and organizations have joined the movement.

The ODC’s goal is to promote policies and practices that enable governments and CSOs to collect, share, and use well-governed data, to respond effectively and accountably to, to our most pressing social, economic, and environmental challenges.

The ODC consists of a small team of four to support the international open data charter. The ODC is overseen by an Advisory Board, made up of representatives from government and expert organizations. A broader network of Data Stewards supports the work of the movement, including through participating in the ODC’s working groups. The ODC is a Resident Organization at Civic House, a collaborative space focused on empowering civic innovation organizations, that believes in the power of technology to deliver ground-breaking citizen action solutions.

The principles in the Open Data Charter provide governments with a common foundation upon which to realize the full potential of open data for their own jurisdiction. An overall goal of the Open Data Charter is to support international collaboration based on inclusive and responsible open data principles, spread the benefits of data revolution around the world.

During 2015, open data experts from governments, multilateral organizations, civil society, and private sector, worked together to develop an international Open Data Charter, with six principles for the release of data:

    1. Open by Default;
    2. Timely and Comprehensive;
    3. Accessible and Useable;
    4. Comparable and Interoperable;
    5. For Improved Governance and Citizen Engagement; and
    6. For Inclusive Development and Innovation.

    Priorities as a partner of the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data

    To advance open data principles and practices, and user-centered open data sector packages as a fundamental part of harnessing the data revolution to achieve sustainable development, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) specifically.