Since 2015, CODE has worked with the World Bank on several projects to advance the use of open government data as a resource for international development. One of the most significant has been the Open Data for Business (OD4B) assessment tool, which has now been used by many national governments in Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America and the Caribbean. The OD4B helps governments decide how to release open data for private sector use to drive economic growth, create jobs, and improve the investment climate.
Despite growing international awareness and interest, many countries have not yet realized the potential value of government data for business use. Like any public resource, open data needs to be developed, managed, and provided in a way that meets the needs of the people and organizations that use it. The Open Data for Business (OD4B) Tool was the first effort to assess the private sector’s use of government data from the demand-side perspective to achieve the economic benefits of open data. It helps inform governments’ data strategies and investments to meet the needs of the private sector by evaluating four key areas: high-value data, barriers to use, capabilities, and engagement channels. The Tool also provides a recommended Action Plan for follow-up projects and ongoing engagement with private sector stakeholders.
CODE has worked with the World Bank in-country on several OD4B engagements, with concrete results. For example:
CODE has presented on the OD4B at several international conferences and continues to support its application throughout the world.