Releasing data could help governments become more transparent and accountable. It would help the public scrutinise how governments spend their money and how implemented policies are performing. Open data also has the potential to bring the public into decision-making and enhance the inclusion of marginalised groups by making it possible to develop services tailored to their needs. 

But despite the benefits, many questions remain: How do you ensure data quality? How do you balance openness with privacy? And, finally, how do you actually implement open data? 

If you are passionate about leveraging open data for the public good and want to discuss it with like-minded peers and experts, we encourage you to join Apolitical’s recently launched Open Data Community of Practice. It’s a place to connect, ask questions, share best practices and collaborate on innovative projects to expand the impact of open data in government. For any problem you run into, there’s a public servant somewhere out there in the world who understands it and has developed a solution. They just might not be based where you are.

Apolitical launched Communities of Practice for topics just like open data. These are topics that public servants need to discuss with one another across organisational and international boundaries to identify the best solutions. For example, members of the AI in Government Community of Practice use it every day to share how they’re experimenting with AI and what excites them about it, as well as to express their worries and concerns about its potential introduction into government work. You can use the Open Data Community of Practice to share an argument you made recently about making the data you’re working with the public or to ask for advice from a senior leader who has been working on the topic for a long time. 

We at Apolitical know public servants want to connect with each other. We also know you want to share your experiences, learn from each other and discuss solutions. But while communities exist across government, they’re often limited to communicating via newsletters, events, conferences or generic websites and apps. Apolitical built Communities to fill this gap. They’re friendly, easy-to-use spaces for discussion designed to meet your needs — and the needs of your fellow public servants. 

See our current offering of communities of practice, from Neurodiversity in Government to Adaptive Policymaking, and be sure to suggest any you think are missing! 

Apolitical is proud to be taking part in LOTI’s Data Week through the event we’re hosting on July 3rd on Turning Data into Meaningful Insights. Be sure to sign up if you want practical tips on how to make sense of complex data.