Open Data Day 2024 : Open data for sustainable and inclusive development for all

On the morning of 2 March 2024, the Open Development Cambodia Organization (ODC) organized and celebrated Open Data Day 2024 (ODD 2024) in Phnom Penh with the support of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade through The Asia Foundation’s Ponlok Chomnes: Data and Dialogue for Development in Cambodia Program. The thematic theme of this year’s event was “Open Data for Sustainable and Inclusive Development for All.”

Approximately 125 participants, including marginalized and vulnerable groups consisting of 52 women, 3 people with disabilities, and LGBTQ groups, joined the ODD 2024. They were from diverse occupations and backgrounds, such as students, tech enthusiasts, open data experts and advocates, CSOs, and government officials. The main objectives of the event were to raise public awareness about open data and inclusive development in Cambodia, to provide a safe space for marginalized and vulnerable individuals to voice concerns and engage in discourse, and to encourage community involvement in digital development and transformation by developing innovative ideas using open data and inclusive participation.

ODC’s Executive Director, Mr. Thy Try, gave a warm welcome remark to kick off the event. He started by welcoming all the participants and honorable guests to the event. He also acknowledged and showed appreciation toward The Asia Foundation for supporting the event.  He emphasized the important role of data in this digital age. In alignment with the government’s digital transformation policy, open data will be a crucial component in contributing to Cambodia’s sustainable and inclusive development, he added. During his speech, he also introduced the audience to the Open Data Handbooks that were freely available at the registration desk and gave a sneak peek at the upcoming National Open Data Conference that will be held on 26-27 March 2024. He concluded by thanking everyone again for joining the event and hoped that participants could learn and grasp all the open data-related information from today’s event.

Next, The Asia Foundation’s Country Representative, Ms. Meloney C. Linburg, delivered her keynote speech to the crowd. The Kingdom is at the crossroads of the digital transformation process, she stated. The government has also acknowledged the changes and included digital and technology development in the national development agenda, such as the Pentagonal Strategy. However, amidst the opportunities,  challenges remain. She addressed the key challenge of Cambodia’s open data landscape, which is the digital divide, specifically for marginalized and vulnerable groups. As the issue of the digital divide persists, disadvantaged groups will not experience the full potential and benefit of open data. Ms. Meloney emphasized the role of inclusive dialogue and youth in promoting collaborative decision-making and the incorporation of diverse perspectives into policy processes. At the end of her remark, she urged active participation from the audience and being involved in the discussion to raise awareness of open data.

After a short coffee break, Mr. Vong Pisith, ODC’s Senior Data Research and GIS Officer/Capacity Building Coordinator, provided an insightful sharing session on “Data-Driven storytelling.” A 40-minute presentation offers participants a basic understanding of the concept and information of data-driven storytelling processes. One participant would like to know the challenges revolving around the process of creating a data-driven story. Mr. Pisith responded that the major challenge is the lack of data. As the name suggests (data-driven storytelling), data plays a vital role. Without it, the author would not be able to conduct an in-depth analysis and produce an insightful story. Another key element of data-driven storytelling is context. Authors need to have a clear understanding of the topic to be able to analyze and use data effectively. Moreover, with a better understanding of the context, authors could set clear analysis direction and produce impactful and meaningful data stories.

Then, comes the hackathon session led by Mr. Oum Vantharith, a former ODC board member and an advocate for free culture and open knowledge in Cambodia. After Mr. Vantharith introduced the hackathon, participants were free to move around the room to form their teams. Approximately 11 teams were formed to take on the challenges of various problems based on their skills and interests. The main theme of the challenge was “Sustainable and Inclusive Development for All,”  and each team could focus on different issues that they would like to tackle. Afterward, the teams were matched with mentors, who had experience as data scientists, developers, researchers, and open data advocates, to support and guide teams throughout the hackathon.

By the end of the event, the 11 teams were still enthusiastically discussing and forming their ideas for the hackathon challenge. For the closing speech, Mr. Thy Try showed his appreciation for the enthusiastic engagement of the participants throughout the event, especially towards the hackathon. He looked forward to seeing the progress of the hackathon challenge and hoped to see everyone at the National Open Data Conference, which will be conducted on 26-27 March 2024.