Katowice, Open City is an interdisciplinary project on city information design for those interested in infographics and data visualisation as well as urban activists and NGOs. Its aim is to promote the idea of open access to information on the city as well as to develop competences required for the analysis, interpretation and presentation of large datasets.
The project stems from a belief that an attractive and efficient information system can both make residents’ lives easier and create an environment for making informed decisions about private residence, investments and city development.
The open data access movement is associated with the culture of network openness which, since the inception of the Internet, has been one of its key foundation stones. However, it is only for a few years that the idea of open data has found its way to public space, mainstream politics, and the economy.
There are several main reasons for implementing the openness policy. One of these is a need for transparency and improve the functioning of administration and the political system. Another reason is a need to involve the citizens and use data for social change. An equally important factor is the development of knowledge-based economy, which can become more innovative through the use of open data.
The policy of openness and transparency is implemented not only by governments, cities, NGOs, but also by companies which are increasingly more willing to build their business models based on the principles of trust and transparency. In Poland, the idea of open data is gaining popularity in small steps. The first of these are also taken in Katowice.