The Open Data Institute (ODI)
The Open Data Institute (ODI) is a London-based non-profit organisation whose mission is to work with companies and governments to build an open, trustworthy data ecosystem. Founded in 2012 by the inventor of the World Wide Web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, and the artificial intelligence expert Sir Nigel Shadbolt, the ODI exists to show the value of open data and to advocate for its innovative use to affect positive change across the globe. It wants data to work for everyone: for people, organisations and communities to use data to make better decisions and to be protected from any harmful impacts.
Based on the fifth floor of Kings Place at 90 York Way in Kings Cross, London, the ODI operates as a non-profit private company limited by guarantee. It combines policy and advocacy work, research and development, training, and commercial consultancy — all directed toward its vision of a world where data works for everyone. Its global network includes individuals, businesses, startups, collaborators and governments who help to achieve that mission.
Foundation in 2012
The ODI was co-founded in 2012 by Sir Tim Berners-Lee and Sir Nigel Shadbolt to champion the value of open data, particularly in addressing complex challenges such as socioeconomic and environmental problems between nations. The key principle was that data should be accessible, standardised and reusable in order to improve transparency, policymaking and innovation.
The founding reflected the UK's pioneering role in open data. The creation of data.gov.uk — the UK government's open data portal — had set the standard for data sharing between national and local government, making the UK a global leader in open data policies, predating initiatives such as the European Data Portal and the US government's data.gov website. The ODI was established to build on that leadership and to spread the culture and practice of open data internationally.
Mission and Vision
The ODI's mission is to connect, equip and inspire people around the world to innovate with data. It pursues this through three strands of work: pilots and practice — working as a critical friend with organisations in the public, private and third sectors, building capacity, supporting innovation and providing advice; research and development — identifying good practices, building the evidence base and creating tools, products and guidance to support change; and policy and advocacy — supporting policymakers to create an environment that supports an open, trustworthy data ecosystem.
The organisation works in policy, influencing government decisions toward the kind of data ecosystem it believes will be best for society; with businesses, helping them develop ethical, equitable data infrastructure that is good for business and their social mission; and with philanthropic and other grant-giving organisations, to build a data infrastructure that brings benefits to all.
The ODI Manifesto
The ODI has set out six manifesto points that it believes will help achieve its vision. First, infrastructure: sectors and societies must invest in and protect the data infrastructure they rely on, with open data as the foundation of that emerging infrastructure. Second, capability: everyone must have the opportunity to understand how data can be and is being used, requiring data literacy for all, data science skills, and experience using data to solve problems.
Third, innovation: data must inspire and fuel innovation, enabling businesses, startups, governments, individuals and communities to create products and services that fuel economic growth and productivity. Fourth, equity: everyone must benefit fairly from data, with access promoting fair competition and informed markets and empowering people as consumers, creators and citizens. Fifth, ethics: people and organisations must use data ethically, with choices about collection and use that are not unjust, discriminatory or deceptive. Sixth, engagement: everyone must be able to take part in making data work for all.
Learning and Training
The ODI provides in-house and online training courses, both free and paid-for, covering the theory and practice of data publishing and use — from introductory overviews to courses for specific subject areas. Thousands of people have been trained through its programmes, which aim to build data literacy and practical skills across sectors.
A distinctive feature of the ODI's public life has been its Friday lunchtime lectures, which cover a different theme each week around the communication and application of data, usually featuring an external speaker. These lectures have helped to build a community of data practitioners in London and, through online access, around the world.
Research Themes and Sector Work
In order to bring open data's benefits to specific areas of society and industry, the ODI focuses much of its research, publications and projects around specific themes and sectors. Its work has examined how open data practices can boost UK GDP, how data can support responses to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and how sectors from transport to agriculture to finance can build trustworthy data infrastructure.
Since 2017, the ODI's operating costs of around £6 million per annum have been met through a range of grants and commercial revenue. Many of its products and services — including reports, tools and webinars — are available openly and for free, reflecting its commitment to openness in its own operations.
Data Institutions and Data Stewardship
In late 2018 the ODI began work on data institutions: new organisations and models for stewarding data on behalf of others. The aim is to create systems of data pooling between organisations — from government departments to private and third-sector entities — that allow data to be shared in safer, fairer and more ethical ways.
The ODI initially explored the data trust model, in which trustees take on a fiduciary duty on behalf of others for how their data is shared, but its remit has since expanded to account for a more diverse family of approaches to data stewardship. The work addresses a foundational question: who gets to use data, for what purposes and under what conditions — spanning corporate use cases, where new forms of stewardship can unlock latent economic value from previously unconnected data sources, and personal use cases, where individuals are more directly involved in stewarding their own data.
Data as Culture
The ODI runs an art programme, Data as Culture, directed by Hannah Redler-Hawes, who joined the ODI team as Associate Curator in 2014. As a contemporary art curator specialising in emerging and multidisciplinary practice, Redler-Hawes develops audience-focused projects for museums, galleries, universities, corporate contexts, digital space and the public realm, raising social, cultural and ethical questions within the fields of art, data, science and technology.
The programme reflects the ODI's belief that data is not only a technical or economic matter but a cultural one — shaping how societies see themselves and make decisions — and that art can open up public conversation about data in ways that reports and lectures cannot.
Global Engagement
The ODI's international reach is extensive. Headquartered in London with hundreds of members, it has incubated dozens of startups, trained thousands of people, and convened a global community interested in developing with data — whether on an individual, organisational or global level. It is a member of the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data and works to get data to those who need it, particularly in response to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
The ODI has joined the Digital Public Goods Alliance, a United Nations-endorsed multi-stakeholder initiative that promotes the discovery, development and use of digital public goods — such as open software, open data, open AI models, open standards and open content — to advance the Sustainable Development Goals. As a member, the ODI reviews its portfolio of tools, frameworks and standards, including the Open Data Maturity Model, the Framework for AI-ready Data and the Data Ethics Canvas, to identify candidates for nomination to the Digital Public Goods Registry, and co-stewards work on digital public goods for responsible AI development.
Leadership
The ODI is led by its chief executive, Louise Burke, who serves as Managing Director. The organisation employs around 29 staff at its Kings Cross headquarters. Its founders remain its most prominent public faces: Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the Web, and Sir Nigel Shadbolt, the Oxford academic and artificial intelligence expert who has been one of the UK's leading voices for open data in government.
Contact and Further Information
The ODI's website is www.theodi.org, where its reports, tools, courses and news are published. Its headquarters are at the 5th Floor, Kings Place, 90 York Way, Kings Cross, London. The organisation invites everyone interested in developing with data — whether on an individual, organisational or global level — to get in touch.
From its founding in 2012, the Open Data Institute has argued that open data is not a niche technical concern but essential infrastructure for the modern economy and society — as vital as roads or the electricity grid. Its work on policy, practice, training and stewardship continues to shape how governments, businesses and communities think about the data they hold and share.
