2026-04-25 –, Tiyatro salonu Language: English
For a short research project I looked into Turkey's open data landscape and tried to make sense of it. I'll talk about my preliminary findings, present some ideas from an activist's perspective and discuss whether there can be open data in an "unopen" country.
Open Data as defined by the Open Definition or the principles of the Sunlight Foundation has become an important, yet often overlooked infrastructure of modern states. However, certain conditions must be met to unlock the potential of open data: Is there an existing legal framework? Is there a sufficient level of data literacy and willingness to cooperate among government officials? Is there a space for exchange between data providers and users? Keeping these questions in mind, that I also used for our annual Open Data Ranking in Germany, I delved into the Turkish (open) data scene and attempted to map its ecosystem.
Dénes Jäger is a freelance journalist and data researcher based in Berlin. He works for the Open Knowledge Foundation Germany as project coordinator open data, advocating greater openness and digital literacy to public authorities in Germany. His journalistic work covers a range of topics, including bread culture in Diyarbakır, headless goat polo and digital activism in Central Asia.
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