Interim ODE Governance

Important

Last update: 28 April 2025

Note

This is an interim document, which will be replaced by a governance system agreed by the ODE community by the end of 2025, with a format and methodology to be determined later in the year.

Open Data Editor (ODE) is a collaborative effort between developers, data practitioners, UX experts, volunteers, trainers, translators, and academics from different jurisdictions and backgrounds. Its goal is to provide an open tool available to everyone. Its development seeks to create an open, long-lasting, resilient and affordable tool that is good enough to solve people’s problems while working with data. Its ultimate goal is to democratise Data and AI.

The Open Knowledge Foundation (OKFN) has hosted, funded, and maintained the project since 2022. Institutions and individual collaborators have also contributed to its development.

This document provides the necessary information about decision-making, collaboration, and participation in further developing the tool.

Decision-making

OKFN leads the vision and direction of ODE and shapes it through ongoing community feedback. A Product Owner catalyses the work, gathering input, listening to users, and steering the development accordingly. The technical decisions are guided by the vision and mission of OKFN.

Community participation

The Open Knowledge Foundation believes that great tools are built in conversation with people from diverse backgrounds. Anyone is welcome to propose ideas or changes to ODE. You can:

  • Join our technical planning meetings, held on the first and third Monday of each month, where we discuss and plan the product development.

  • Start a discussion in our GitHub repository. If you are not familiar with the platform, here is a link to learn how to do it.

Note: Our core team is small and working at a limited capacity. While we review all proposals, response times may vary depending on availability. We’ll do our best to keep you informed and follow up as soon as possible.

ODE People

These are the people who collectively make ODE what it is today:

Core team

ODE is currently governed by the Open Knowledge Foundation through a core team.

The core team from Open Knowledge Foundation currently working on ODE is:

  • Romina Colman, Open Data Editor Product Owner

  • Patricio del Boca, Tech Lead

  • Nicolas Bases, Senior Developer

  • Sara Petti, Project Manager

  • Lucas Pretti, Communications and Advocacy Director

  • Mariam Asatryan, UX consultant

In the past,

  • Edgar Zanella Alvarenga, @aivuk

  • Evgeny Karev, @roll

  • Faith Kenny, @faithkenny

  • Gerguana Tchatckova, @guergana

  • Polina Ganina @PoliGanina

  • Shashi Gharti, @shashigharti

  • Madelon Hulsebos, @madelonhulsebos

assisted OKFN in developing the tool.

Contributors

A contributor is any institution or volunteer that adds value to the project. The contributions include, but are not limited to, development, usability, literacy, translations, feedback, documentation, dissemination and community building. Check the contribution guidelines and join us in the effort.

ODE Contributors are:

  • Story Data team

  • Asociación Civil por la Igualdad y la Justicia (ACIJ) team

  • Open Knowledge Nepal

  • Bioinformatics Hub of Kenya Initiative

  • Observatoire des Armements

  • The Demography Project

  • City of Zagreb, Open Data Team

  • Open Knowledge Brazil

  • Escuela de Datos

  • Adriano Belisário, Open Knowledge Brazil

  • Andikan Eduok, Wikimedia User Group Nigeria

  • Anicely Santos, Open Knowledge Brasil

  • Benjamin Degenhart, FörderFunke

  • Bukola Olutola James, Wikimedia

  • Cherry Murillon-Cubacub, Cawil.ai

  • Crispin Ngakani, Climate Clock

  • Debra Chibaya, Great Zimbabwe University

  • Denaya Dennis, Koneta Hub

  • Ebenezer Calist Mlay, Open Knowledge Tanzania

  • Ezekiel Edgar Kiariro, GeoTE Tanzania

  • Florencia Rodríguez Altub, La Nación

  • Francis Acquah Amaning, Internet Society Ghana

  • Gabrielle Martin, Norwegian Refugee Council

  • Gladness Gibson, Open Knowledge Tanzania

  • Harriet C. Ijeomah, Harsco Media & Communications

  • Ian Watt, Code The City

  • Ignacia Velasco, Independent Data Journalist

  • Isabella Renzetti, Independent Data Analyst

  • Jose Luis Mendoza, Centro Latinoamericano de Investigaciones Sobre Internet

  • Joseph De Guia, Open LGU Research

  • Juan Gabriel Juara, Fundar

  • Juan Manuel Dias, Fundar

  • Juliana Soares Lima, Federal University of Ceará

  • Karla Patricia Arévalo Mancía, Human rights communicator

  • Leticia Carolina Girón Acosta, Independent Data Journalist

  • Madeline Ileleji, Jokkolabs Banjul

  • Marcos Gibran Mena-Aguilar, Data Crítica

  • Maxwell Beganim, Open Knowledge Ghana

  • Mohit Garg, IIT Delhi

  • Narcisse Mbunzama, Open Knowledge Network

  • Nicole Siggins, Humanitarian OpenStreetMap

  • Nika Aleksejeva, Datu skola

  • Nina Trubanova, Open Life Science

  • Nuela Ada Ononiwu, InspireIT

  • Omar Luna, Escuela de Datos

  • Paula Luvini, Fundar

  • Pedro Rabatone Oliveira, Independent consultant

  • Priya Rangra, Uni. of Himachal Pradesh

  • Raashi Saxena, A11yLab

  • Sadik Shahadu, Open Knowledge Ghana

  • Saliou Abdou, OpenStreetMap

  • Sergio Santamarina, Universidad José C. Paz

  • Seun Olufemi, Bioinformatics Outreach / OLS

  • Srejan Debnath, Project Korikath

  • Sridhar Gutam, IICAR Horticultural

  • Susanna Ånäs , Open Knowledge Finland

  • Syeda Saadia Azim, Bangla Sahayata Kendra

  • Thays Lavor, Escola de Dados

  • Tsenguun Tumurkhuyag, Public Lab Mongolia

  • Wale Bakare, Webfala Digital skills for all initiative

Have you contributed to the project but you are still not on the list? Drop us an email at info[at]okfn.org providing a short description of your contribution.