The Flemish Government claims to have attached more value to Open Data these  past years. But those words don’t have much value if they aren’t combined with any acts. But what has the Flemish Government been doing in the Open Data arena? Well, that’s something you can find out at Open Data Day.  And more importantly, maybe you’ll have the chance to give your opinion. What’s even more, you can participate in Open Data Day completely free.

The nineteenth of June, Open Data Day -the fourth edition already- will take place in the Boudewijngebouw in Brussels. This year is all about transparency and services. And in order to get the most out of Open Data, citizens and companies will be heard too. How? By making use of round-table discussions. All participants can debate on a specific topic. In this way, the Flemish Government can collect ideas and thoughts, in order to work out an Open Data policy that has a widespread support.

Experts and citizens combine powers

There will be five discussions in the morning and five in the afternoon, each one handling a different subject. Each debate has twenty participants, of which sixteen are considered to be ‘experts’. Those experts are derived from the public sector, the industry and civil organisations. The remaining four participants are citizens, two men and two women. If you want to take part, you can do so by registering yourself on the Open Data Day website. Participating in this is free of charge.

Realising ideas

There will be five subjects to discuss, being mobility, environment, economy, statistical data and geographical data or geodata. Through the round-table discussions, the most valuable concepts will come forward and in that way, the Flemish government knows which ideas are interesting for both the governmental side and the citizens side. Those ideas will be followed up and if possible realised in 2015 and 2016.

Remainder of the day

The remainder of the day is full of interesting keynotes and presentations, most of them about Open Data projects that are already up and running. You can find the programme here.

In short, this day is an absolute must for everyone whose interested in of involved with Open Data. So, why don’t you register right away?