Our Impact

              The Open Data Impact Map, an ambitious effort to map the uses of open government data around the world, was one of CODE’s first projects after our launch in 2015. The Open Data Map, a project of the Open Data for Development Network (OD4D), is a public database of organizations that use open government data from around the world. CODE developed the Map to provide governments, international organizations, and researchers with a more comprehensive understanding of the demand for open data. By mapping how these organizations use open data, we can better identify, get feedback on, and improve the most valuable government datasets.
              The Map includes more than 1600 cross-sectoral organizations from 90 countries that use open government data for advocacy, to develop products and services, improve operations, inform strategy, and conduct research. It has been supported by funding from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the World Bank. 
              The Open Data Impact Map was the basis for one of the first comprehensive reports on the uses of open data worldwide, which CODE published in 2016. Our analysis of the Impact Map data showed that the most common types of data used across sectors and regions were government operations, geospatial, and demographic and social data. Additionally, we found that organizations use open data in four main ways:

• Organizational Optimization: Many organizations use open data to improve how they operate. For example, economics statistics, demographic, and weather data can help companies improve market intelligence and assess new markets. 
• New Products and Services: Hundreds of organizations have developed entirely new products or services based on open data. Many focus on making the data itself more accessible, usable, and easy to analyze, while others have developed new services or apps that produce insights and analytics. 
• Advocacy: Several organizations are building digital tools to inform and engage citizens on issues ranging from transparency around school funding to addressing climate change. For example, several of these organizations use data on spending and procurement to expose corruption and inefficient allocation of resources and services. 
• Research: Open data is fueling research in many fields. This work includes industry analysis, medical research, scientific exploration, and the use of data by journalists to inform and substantiate their reporting.

The Open Data Impact Map has helped shape an understanding of data use and government data’s potential. As the global value of open data has become more widely recognized, CODE is continuing to manage the Map and explore potential collaborations. We welcome ideas for the Map and for collaboration at contact@odenterprise.org. Note: The Open Data Impact Map is no longer active and was last updated in 2018.