Tag Archives: odcamp2

Open Data Camp 2.0 – Details Announced

ODCamp2, , , ,
Map of United Kingdom and Ireland with markers showing where ODcamps have been, in Winchester and Hampshire
ODCamp on Tour!

 

On the weekend of the 6th and 7th of June, several of the organisers of Open Data Camp were at Blue Light Camp – helping to spread the open data love. In the midst of the activity, a tweet was smuggled out:

All true..!

We have been working hard to make sure that Open Data Camp moves around the country, and given the first one was in deepest southern England, we really wanted to bring the next one up North. We asked for people to put forward their recommendations – and though there was some initial interest from Leeds and Bradford – the only concrete proposals were from Manchester (The Shed, Manchester Metropolitan University’s Digital Innovation Centre) and Preston (The Media Innovation Studio at the University of Central Lancashire). Both are excellent venues, but we, the organisers, decided that because ODCamp is still in its early days, we could make good use of the well-established open data community in Manchester to bring a local flavour to the camp, while retaining the national (international?!) prominence.

So, the details that we know so far are that it will be held on the 10th and 11th of October 2015, at The Shed, Manchester. And that’s it! Because it’s an unconference, we don’t know what will happen, but if its anything like the first one, there will be a LOT of cake excellent sessions, pitched by incredible open data people.

Any suggestions, comments or feedback would be great – either through the comments box below, or on twitter. You could probably tap up the organisers directly if you want the personal touch. As a reminder, we are:

Mark Braggins
James Cattell
Neil Ford
Hendrik Grothuis
Martin Howitt
Lucy Knight
Pauline Roche
Giuseppe Sollazzo
Sasha Taylor
Sian Thomas
Jamie Whyte

We think we need a smattering of local knowledge to make sure the camp is a success, both to help connect us with local groups and businesses, and to help with the social side. For these, we’ve asked two people to join the organisers:

Julian Tait, of Open Data Manchester
Vim Appadoo, of SpacePortX

Keep an eye on this site for more details as they are released – ticketing etc. You should also follow ODCamp on twitter for updates.

Finally, these sorts of things would absolutely not be possible without the generosity of our sponsors. If you feel like you can contribute to the costs in exchange for publicity (and a warm feeling inside), see our sponsors pages.

Many thanks, and we look forward to seeing you in October!

The Organisers

 

Open Data Camp 2 – It’s on like Donkey Kong

ODcamp 2015, ODCamp2

We, The Organisers of Open Data Camp, do hereby announce that we have started to think about ODCamp 2. The success of the first ODCamp meant that it would be wrong to not have another one.

We have had a couple of hangouts, and the main topic of conversation so far has revolved around what to call the next Open Data Camp. Pole position so far is ODCamp 2 -The Wrath of Maude. We are open to suggestions.

Probably more importantly though, is where and when to hold ODCamp2. In Winchester, we all agreed that we would like to move ODCamp around the country and that the North would be a good next destination. In terms of a rough date, we had it pointed out that holding ODCamp on International Open Data Day was actually a bad move, as it detracted from local ODD events. We also know that we need to keep the momentum that we’ve started to build. With that in mind, we are proposing that ODCamp 2 takes place somewhere in the North, some time in Autumn. We are also suggesting that ODCamp slowly makes its way up North, and stops off in the West Midlands, at Blue Light Camp on the 6th and 7th June 2015, for a bit of open data/emergency services mashup action.

Unsurprisingly, given ODCamp’s success, we have already had enquiries from organisations who want to host ODCamp2. In the spirit of openness and transparency, we would now like to invite expressions of interest to host ODCamp2 (not like a big formal tender process – just trying to make sure we do our best to get it right)

We have come up with a few points that any expression of interest will need to address, to try and ensure we have another successful camp:

  • A venue with a big room that can hold up to 200 people (not necessarily seated)
  • the venue should also have at least 4 breakout rooms
  • Transport to and from the venue should be good
  • Accommodation should be plentiful, with the possibility of securing deals for attendees
  • Entertainment nearby
  • Excellent WiFi capabilities
  • A local person able to work with the organisers
  • Free/cheap and available in Autumn
  • Catering (tea / coffee / sandwiches / cake)

If you know of someone or somewhere in the North who has an appetite for hosting the next full ODCamp – maybe write a blog piece expressing interest and demonstrating how the above points will be met, and link to it in the comments below here. Or simply put the details straight into the comments. The more info the better. We will then review all the suggestions, in the week of the 13th April, and then make some sort of announcement.

Also, any suggestions for a name gratefully received – in the comments, please…

Ta

The Organisers