As Canada’s leading open data nonprofit and steward of the International Open Data Charter, Open North is an active member of a global community working in favour of systems change, improving government transparency and accountability, and increasing public participation in democracy.
With our proven track record on both the national and international stages, we offer a variety of open data solutions and civic technology tools, scaled for both the local and national levels, for better and more open democracies.
As co-founders of the Canadian Open Government Civil Society Network, we are invested in supporting local and national mobilization efforts that promote civic engagement and open governance. Our work with a range of stakeholders in building sustainable, inclusive, and innovative open communities enables us to demonstrate the economic and social benefits of open data. We promote best practices in a variety of different ways, including open data advocacy campaigns, public speaking, advising tech projects, participating on juries, as well as co-organizing events such as the annual Canadian Open Data Summit and the International Open Data Day.
Actively involved in the Open Government Partnership, where we initially contributed our expertise by researching recommended standards and best practices for open data, we now also work with governments to advise them on open government strategies and help them assess the needs of data users. We continue to promote the adoption of Open511, an open format for publishing road event data, and to partner with organizations like the Open Data Exchange and The GovLab to conduct mapping projects like the OpenData150. We have a strong record in working with governments at all levels and are keen to contribute our skills and know-how to help them achieve impactful open data programs and initiatives.
As a supporter of the Declaration on Open Parliamentary Openness, it is important for us to contribute our strategic and technical support to regional and international initiatives that promote legislative openness. That means not only conducting research on legislative openness in Canada, but building partnerships with organizations like ParlAmericas that convene and support political, civic, and institutional leaders. We have a strong record in building websites that promote legislative transparency and civic engagement like OpenHouseNS, creating ground-breaking tools like ReadyReckoner for the Parliamentary Budget Officer of Canada, and supporting the development of Rada4You with like-minded organizations, like OpenAustralia Foundation and OPORA in Ukraine.
We work with large and small governments, nonprofits, businesses, schools and media, including:
