Beacon project: Open Data Exploration

According to the project description, ODEx is "a demonstration-based platform that will help secure competences, systems and resources in gathering, handling, analysing and distributing data from many different sources". But what does that actually mean, and what value does ODEx help create for SDU, and not least for the Faculty of Science?

Professor WSR Peter Schneider-Kamp from the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science is Principal Investigator (PI) for ODEx. He explains that ODEx has many different usage options and that the platform is aimed at many different target groups, including students:

"ODEx makes it possible to communicate student projects to companies in Open Data. This could include Bachelor and Master's projects as well as individual study activities. In this way, ODEx will contribute to making sure that graduates from SDU acquire the relevant competences in Open Data, which we already know are in demand in the job market," emphasises Peter Schneider-Kamp.

ODEx will thus provide students with an opening for collaborations with companies and public institutions, but the project will also make a contribution to society. For example, ODEx is already underway with the first collaboration with the City of Odense and Geo Fyn regarding traffic. Here, ODEx is helping to gather, visualise and analyse traffic and movement data in order to support traffic planning. The other aspect in the collaboration with the City Administration is that the public will be involved in delivering data and will also receive valuable information about traffic as well as guidelines for route-planning.

Dean Martin Zachariasen says that ODEx will have significance for researchers at SDU - including at the Faculty of Science - as using the data will provide the opportunity for unique interdisciplinary collaborations:

"ODEx is a platform which creates value for SDU through collaborations with society about Open Data. It is expected that ODEx will contribute to building an environment and strengthening the academic environments at SDU - as well as making efforts to increase participation in European networks. Furthermore, I am convinced that ODEx will be part of supporting SDU's strategy to increase engagement with society, and as Dean I can only be pleased about that."

Over the last couple of months, the organisation of ODEx has come together. All key competences in handling Open Data are now assembled, and a strengthened foundation for knowledge sharing in e.g. business models, implementation and use of Open Data has been created. The steering group for ODEx consists of participants from all five faculties and reports to the newly established Research and Innovation Council at SDU. The steering group's members are: Martin Zachariasen, Faculty of Science (chairman); Peter Schneider-Kamp, Faculty of Science (PI); Jeanette Lemmergaard, Faculty of Business and Social Sciences; Per Krogh Hansen, Faculty of Humanities; Lars Porskjær, Faculty of Engineering; and Jørgen Povlsen, Faculty of Health Sciences.

A kick-off meeting for ODEx will be held on 27 October 2016, when ODEx will be presented internally to all of SDU. As well as a presentation of the ODEx platform, a presenter from an external company will be there to explain about the opportunities for innovation that using Open Data can provide. The kick-off meeting will conclude with a feature from Eric Bjørklund, who works for SDU at the South Denmark European Office in Brussels. He will be there to present the Big Data Value Association (BDVA). In the future, ODEx wishes to collaborate with international partners who work in Open Data/Big Data, and in this respect BDVA could be an important partner in the communication of projects and collaboration partners.

Further information about ODEx can be obtained from Peter Schneider-Kamp (petersk@imada.sdu.dk) or project leader Barbara Tvede Andersen (barbara@sdu.dk).