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Topics

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These are the topics that the ODI cares about.

Browse our topics and view all the projects, blogs and research we’ve done around each.

Topic
Agriculture and food
- Anna Scott
- Ben Snaith
- Dr Dave Tarrant
- Jack Hardinges
- Leigh Dodds
- Lucy Knight
The global food system is struggling under the combined pressures of a growing population, climate uncertainty and volatile market forces. Open data can inform decision making, enable innovation and promote transparency in agriculture and nutrition. The ODI is actively engaged in global partnerships such as GODAN, helps agriculture businesses publish and use open data, and researches open data’s uses and benefits for the sector.
Topic
Arts, culture and heritage
- Dr Dave Tarrant
- Hannah Redler Hawes
- Harmeet Chagger-Khan
- Olivier Thereaux
From how the Natural History Museum collects artefact data, to how artists turn data into creative artworks, we work with, showcase and promote the use of data in art, culture and heritage.
Topic
Banking and finance
- Jack Hardinges
- Josh D'Addario
We are working to highlight how open data can enhance financial technology (FinTech) and banking and bring broad benefits to customers, regulators and industry. If implemented effectively, open banking will unlock innovation that will transform and improve the customer banking experience. Open data and open systems have the power to reduce friction in the economy, and boost innovation and competition to help stimulate growth. They can also help people identify efficiencies and open up new ways to trade, encouraging transparency and collaboration throughout networks across the sector. We are seeking input from experts in the field, engaging them to join the discussion as ODI Members, bloggers and advisors.
Topic
Built environment and housing
- Leigh Dodds
In an era of rapid urbanisation we are witnessing increasing demand for additional housing, infrastructure, transport and green spaces. We are asking how open data can help tackle these challenges. The ODI is researching and helping to develop innovative opportunities around data to improve national infrastructure and help to solve the problem of our ever-growing cities.
Topic
Cities
- Angeles Navarro
- Antonio Moneo
- Ben Snaith
- Benjamin Cave
- Leigh Dodds
- Lucy Knight
- Olivier Thereaux
Demands on cities are increasing everywhere. As a result, they are becoming more sophisticated in how they support the billions of people, biological ecosystems, systems infrastructure, buildings and vehicles that move and grow within them. From informing urban planning and delivering public services to targeting emergency reponse, we are exploring how we can open, share and use data to create better cities.
Topic
Covid-19
- Ben Snaith
- Deborah Yates
- Olivier Thereaux
We’re helping you to make sense of publishing and accessing data during Covid-19, with free tools, guides, explainers, research and opinion pieces.
Topic
Data ethics and privacy
- Anna Scott
- Ben Snaith
- Dr Dave Tarrant
- Dr Mahlet (Milly) Zimeta
- Jack Hardinges
- Olivier Thereaux
- Richard Plumbly-Clegg
To ensure people can use data to make better decisions, we must make data as open as possible while protecting people’s privacy, commercial confidentiality and national security
Topic
Data infrastructure
- Anna Scott
- Dr Dave Tarrant
- Dr Mahlet (Milly) Zimeta
- Jack Hardinges
- Leigh Dodds
- Olivier Thereaux
Data is currently not being treated as infrastructure. We need to change this.
Topic
Data publishing and use
- Dr Dave Tarrant
- Dr Mahlet (Milly) Zimeta
- Jack Hardinges
- Leigh Dodds
- Olivier Thereaux
We research and develop tools and offer support and training for people publishing data.
Topic
Emerging tech and AI
- James Smith (Dr)
- Dr Mahlet (Milly) Zimeta
- Fionntán O'Donnell
- Dr Jared Robert Keller
- Josh D'Addario
- Olivier Thereaux
- Sir Nigel Shadbolt
Emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence and blockchain, are being proposed as tools to help organisations innovate and improve efficiencies. Through research and development, the ODI is exploring how these technologies can be best applied to help solve current and future problems.
Topic
Geospatial data and mapping
- Damien McCloud
- Dr Dave Tarrant
- Jack Hardinges
- Leigh Dodds
Geospatial and mapping data helps to drive our data infrastructure, by showing us where things are in the world. If this data is made open, then more people and organisations can build apps, local services and more.
Topic
Health and physical activity
- Dr Dave Tarrant
- Tara Lee
- Tim Corby
- Timothy Hill
Open data can help tackle the global physical inactivity crisis and health research around the world by making opportunities more accessible. The ODI works with researchers, businesses and startups to find solutions to international health issues such as inactivity and lack of research sharing.
Topic
Humanitarian response
- Anna Scott
When a natural or man-made disaster strikes, humanitarian groups need information to advocate and plan response. Weather, maps, aid distribution, the spread of diseases and population figures are just some of the important data that are crucial in crises. The ODI is exploring how humanitarian data can be collected, opened, used and shared in ways that are safe and ethical.
Topic
Innovation
- Chloe Bonnet
- Dr Dave Tarrant
- Jack Hardinges
- Josh D'Addario
- Lucy Knight
- Mellissa Norman
- Olivier Thereaux
- Orsola De Marco
- Richard Stirling
- Sir Nigel Shadbolt
- Wendy Carrara
Governments, businesses and not-for-profit organisations around the world use data to innovate. The more data that is open – for anyone to access, use and share – the more people and organisations can solve problems, gain insights and save time and money. The ODI is researching and promoting emerging business models and value propositions with open data at their core. The ODI runs startup programmes around the world and connects businesses and governments to startups. This helps them get fresh ideas, and develop tools and solutions. It also helps them find solutions to sector problems. In its research and development, the ODI is focusing on projects that it believes will progress strategically important areas: building data infrastructure, improving data literacy, stimulating data innovation and building trust in the use of data.
Topic

ODI Inside Business At the ODI, we are exploring how business leaders should consider their company’s data handling and data infrastructure as part of an overall approach to governance.
Topic
Open standards and open APIs
- Dr Dave Tarrant
- Jack Hardinges
When open data is standardised and uses an open API, it’s easier to read and access, creating opportunities for startups, researchers and communities to innovate with it. The ODI helped create the momentum to develop open standards for retail banking data and is now using open standards to help the UK get more physically active through the OpenActive initiative.
Topic
Peer networks
- Anna Scott
- James Maddison
- Liz Carolan
Peer networks are a popular way of developing leadership and sharing knowledge. The ODI has developed the Open Data Leaders Network – a global peer network of public sector open data leaders at different levels (city, regional and national) – to promote peer-learning and knowledge exchange. The ODI also studies peer networks and advises people interested in building them to support open data leadership, though they are also broadly applicable to other fields.
Topic
Policy
- Alan Walker
- David Warrell
- Dr Mahlet (Milly) Zimeta
- Gavin Freeguard
- Lucas Stiglich
- Mark Boyd
- Matt Davies
Data policy is a rich and fast-moving area that cuts across borders, domains and sectors and touches on many everyday aspects of our lives.
Topic
Public service design
- Ben Snaith
- James Maddison
- Miranda Marcus
We’ve been collaborating with local service designers and councils around the UK and beyond to research and develop useful tools to improve local services
Topic

Retail and consumer The UK is a world leader in innovating with data for retail. By using data better, retailers can provide quality information to consumers about their goods; target consumers with special offers or remind them what they’ve forgotten to buy; modify where products are placed within stores and shelves; and plan where to put new stores. The Open Data Institute and dunnhumby are bringing together people from across the retail sector to explore data-driven innovation, with a focus on open data and open innovation.
Topic
Science and research
- Dr Dave Tarrant
- Leigh Dodds
- Sir Nigel Shadbolt
When the research community opens its data, it means others can access, scrutinise and build on the information. This can lead to better quality data, quicker progress and the saving of both time and money.
Topic

Search and discovery Data volume and variety on the web is growing, and with it so-called ‘big data’ technologies and services. However, we are not yet able to use all data to its full potential because, at least in part, there are many barriers to finding and using data. Data is typically grouped into datasets. Many of these are published on the web. However, these are distributed in data catalogues available on different data portals, and no centralised way of searching for data has yet been developed that would overcome these silos. The ODI hosts PhD students who are mapping specific problems within this area, from a user’s perspective.
Topic
Skills and literacy
- Benjamin Cave
- Briony Philips
- Damien McCloud
- Dr Dave Tarrant
- Jack Hardinges
- Mahadia Tunga
- Mellissa Norman
Open data can create impact. It can help make governments more transparent, businesses more efficient and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) better informed. But to create impact and unlock value with open data, you need to be equipped with the right set of knowledge and skills. Open data is a relatively new field. Its potential is being realised increasingly as it is slowly integrated into the strategies of organisations. Those working with open data or on open data initiatives often have to learn the skills as they go. There is no clear language to describe the knowledge and skills of those working with open data; nothing with which to benchmark a single individual’s expertise, and point to where they are in their learning journey. This is why the ODI has created the Open Data Skills Framework.
Topic
Startups
- Orsola De Marco
- Richard Stirling
When people get access to data, organisations innovate faster and startups create better products with real impact. We call this open innovation and it’s at the heart of what we do. With the ODI Startup programmes we connect data-driven startups with private and public sector organisations that face challenges that data can help solve. We then leverage our trusted partners and network of experts to support them in this journey.
Topic
Transport
- Dr Dave Tarrant
- Rikesh Shah
- Teresa Jolley
To meet the demands of a growing population, limited natural resources and climate change, we need open, reliable and accessible data at the heart of our transport system. Our transport system relies mostly on physical infrastructure that has been slowly assembled over hundreds of years. But the system struggles to support growing demand for passenger journeys and the transportation of goods. We urgently need to think about data infrastructure to support transport innovation and transition to ‘intelligent mobility’ – where emerging technologies can make the movement of people and goods smarter, greener and more efficient.
Topic
Weather, energy and environment
- Ben Snaith
- Leigh Dodds
By looking at the different aspects of the data infrastructure used to collect, access and share environmental, energy and weather information, we can better understand the challenges faced.