Manual – Open Data for Students

Partner: Open Knowledge Nepal

Link: http://odap.oknp.org 

Despite the growth in momentum for open data in Nepal, global open data surveys such as the Global Open Data Index and the Open Data Barometer suggest that Nepal still lags behind other countries. There is an evident need to grow awareness and capacity on open data among Nepal’s future leaders. To address this, Open Knowledge Nepal compiled the Open Data Manual as a reference guide for college and university students. The manual is a compilation of information from a series of online resources that explain open data – its benefits, uses and technicalities. It is hoped that the recommended readings, references and the guidance provided by the Manual will support those who are interested to use open data to develop innovative tools, products and services in governance, education, civic engagement,journalism and more.

The Open Data Manual provides information on the following topics:

• An introduction to open data – the Manual shares details of the history and background of open data in Nepal.
• Working with open data – the Manual gives details about the sources of open data in Nepal and stories of impact from open data in Nepal.
• Process of working with data – the Manual includes sub-chapters on data cleaning, data extraction, data analysis, data visualisation and data publishing.
• Glossary – the Manual also includes a useful glossary of terms related to open data.

The Manual has been written to educate students about the benefits of open data and better prepare them for the rapidly changing data scenario. The Manual is accompanied by the Open Data Curriculum which is a course outline to guide training sessions on open data. The Manual, Curriculum, Session Plan and Presentations have been made openly available on the Open Data Awareness Program website to support the delivery of open data trainings by other groups.

Open Knowledge Nepal designed the Manual and Curriculum as part of a broader project of training and workshops aimed at sensitizing Nepal’s students to open data.  As part of this they conducted training events at 10 educational institutions around Nepal to trial the Curriculum, followed by a hackathon to give the students the chance to implement their new skills.