Growing private sector engagement with open data

Partner: Kathmandu Living Labs

To support use of open data by the businesses in Nepal and encourage further demand for data, the D4D Program worked with Kathmandu Living Labs to conduct a workshop on the practical application of open mapping data for the private sector.

Open data has huge potential value to businesses in Nepal. For example, it can be used to help improve their operational efficiency, support their innovation and stimulate their economic growth. One of the ways in which open data can support businesses is through improving their ability to map services, locate clients, and identify markets. Open Street Maps (OSM) is a mapping tool founded on open data that can enable this. OSM assembles crowdsourced data from volunteers across the world to provide a freely accessible online open data source of geographic information. The map can be viewed through web browsers and mobile apps, or imported into business systems.

To demonstrate the potential application of open data for both new technology-based and more traditional businesses in Nepal, the D4D Program in November 2017 hosted an interactive workshop in partnership with Kathmandu Living Labs. The workshop introduced 10 businesses to OSM through the sharing of practical examples and via a collaborative exercise that involved open mapping of the local area. The application of OSM to support business decisions and operations was discussed, as were the broader benefits of open data to private sector. There was strong interest from the businesses present in the potential of using open-data based applications such as OSM to support their growth.

For more information about this workshop:

• Please read here
• Please check out the OSM website here