GI2013-GI/GIS/GDI-Interoperability-Forum, Dresden: 29./30.04.2013

1. Turning Data into Business
Karel Charvat

2. Apps4Europe
• Turning Data into Business will create a thematic network
to organize competitions for using open data, stimulate the
winners to start business ventures and maximize the socio-
economic impact and overall benefits of open data.
• It will contribute to the open data policy of the Commission
and stimulate the reuse of public sector information from
governmental, scientific and cultural sources.
• It brings together 19 partners from 10 countries that have a
background in hosting and facilitating open data
competitions, providing data and supporting business
ventures.
• A4E consortium will build on and align 20 existing local and
national open data competitions held over the next two
years by the partners and stimulate the participants to turn
their inventions into viable businesses.

3. Apps4Europe
• The project will develop a new, transferable and tested
programme that will increase the business knowledge
and potential for success of participants in open data
competitions: The Business Lounge.
• The Business Lounge educates developers in creating
and commercializing apps with market potential.
• Participants enter their prototype app, including a
business model into an annual EU Open Data
Competition.
• We will organize two Pan-European competitions that
will bring the best of the local and national
competitions into an European limelight and introduce
them to a business network that will increase their
potential.

4. Apps4Europe
• The categories of this EU
open data competition are:
– Government
– Science
– Culture.
• The best local and EU
contestants are invited to
pitch their plans during a
Pitch & Prize event for
– Investors
– Incubators
– International companies
– Entrepreneurial nonprofits
– social investors.
• It spawns 5 support actions
in themes that are
identified as key areas of
importance to organizing
successful open data
competitions:
– Business and Policy
– Data and Licensing
– Media exposure for start-ups
– Technical tooling
– Community Building.

5. Partners
• Stichting Waag Society
• Vlaamse ICT Organisatie
• Open Knowledge
Foundation Belgium
• iMinds VZW
• Czech Centre for Science
and Society
• Forum Virium Helsinki
Oy-radio- Ja
Televisiotekniikan
Tutkimus RTT
• EURECOM
• Open Knowledge
Foundation Deutschland
• Consorzio Top-IX - Torino
e Piemonte eXchange
Point
• PT Comunicacoes SA
• Rooter Analysis SL
• Fundacion Esade
• Stichting Open State
Foundation

6. Partners
• Stichting Nederlands
Instituut Voor Beeld En
Geluid The Netherlands
• Stichting Nederland
Kennisland The
Netherlands
• Stichting Europeana The
Netherlands
• Open Knowledge
Foundation Limited LBG
United Kingdom
• Nesta Operating
Company LBG United
Kingdom
• Futureeverything CIC

7. Apps Contests

8. Benefits contests
• They can be fun – participants
enjoy using their knowledge to
resolve a communal problem
or are happy to meet each
other and be together during
hackathons or award
ceremonies.
• They can work towards
transparency, catering to
civilians and non-
governmental organizations.
• They can facilitate innovation
that gives rise to new
businesses or other forms of
economic activity.
• They can benefit
governmental institutions and
civilians who want better
government services.
• They can provide developers
with exposure amongst
possible future employers or
customers.
• They can benefit students by
introducing apps development
and open data in real-world
settings.

9. Drawbacks contests
• A problem that is encountered over and over is the
sustainability of the resulting applications.
• The contests work well for the initial proof-of-concept
phase but the supporting structures for taking the ideas
forward after the app contest are currently not very well
developed.
• Because there are so many contests and the number of
possible participants is small, they might run dry of new
ideas and applications.
• There needs to be collaboration among the contest
organizers
• There needs to be more focus on capacity building amongst
future developers.
• Developers need to find sustainable models for themselves,
as one cannot make a living by only participating in these
contests.

10. What GI Open Content
• Do we have Open GI?
• Is INSPIRE really way to Open Content?
• What Copernicus and GEOSS?
• Past activities 4th Way
• Experience from EnviroGRIDS BlackSea and
Habitats show some possibilities
• Currently key activity is Plan4business.
• Future INSPIRE@Pocket

11. The role of CCSS
• Promote Open content towards politicians
• To support Open Content and innovation in
Open GI content
• Organize events and competition in central
and eastern Europe.
• In reality CCSS project region is biggest from
all partners.

12. Thanks for attention
charvat@ccss.cz
• More info @
www.ccss.cz
• LinkedIn groups:
– Geoportal4everybody
– Habitats
– Naturnet
– Open Agriculture Data
Working Group
• Facebook