Open Steps: A journey to discover and document Open Knowledge projects around the globe

Open-Steps (http://www.open-steps.org/) is an initiative we, Alex Corbi (Software Developer, Spanish) and Margo Thierry (European Union Affairs/Politics Associate, French) two young Berliners, undertook to explore where Open Knowledge (OK) projects are underway and how they are being implemented in various sectors. We decided to travel the world for one year to accomplish this goal. We began in July 2013, visiting both organizations and individuals who apply the principles behind Open Knowledge in different domains, including but not limited to policy, human rights, and science. We searched for OK projects not visible to majority of the world. This involved extended periods of time, usually months, exploring expansive geographical areas. Our aim was to both learn from professionals about the opportunities, successes, challenges and drivers of OK projects but also to increase awareness and public engagement in Open Knowledge sharing. We conducted interviews to discern the structure of knowledge sharing, public uptake, societal impact and overall benefits conferred. To increase public awareness and engagement with the concept of ‘Open Knowledge’ we conducted a workshop entitled ‘Visualizing Open Data to Bring Out Global Issues’ (http://www.open-steps.org/ workshop/). The workshop was conducted in collaboration with the local groups and organizations involved in those projects for the purpose of introducing the topic to interested individuals in the community, raising awareness about the potential benefits of OK projects, and generating discussion from which the community could extract valuable information about the status of OK policies, as well as initiatives and projects ongoing in each local context. This event was organized more than 40 times in 24 countries. We achieved our goals and were thus able to identify and document the level and quality of community awareness and engagement with various forms of Open Knowledge.