OpenAQ is proud to endorse the international Open Data Charter (ODC) principles that promote policies and practices that enable governments and civil society organizations to publish digital data purposefully. This amazing global collaboration wants “a world in which governments collect, share, and use well-governed data, to respond effectively and accountability to our most pressing social, economic, and environmental challenges.”
Air pollution sits at the intersection of these challenges: it degrades health, drives inequities, undermines economic well-being, harms ecosystems, and shares a root cause with the climate crisis–namely the burning of fossil fuels.
We know that one prerequisite for clean air action is knowledge about what pollutants are in the air, at what level, and when. When stakeholders are equipped with this data, they can demonstrate the extent of the problem, making visible the invisible. If governments (and, truth be told, private companies) do not provide open access to air quality data, it stifles the research and innovation, journalism, tool development, and policy advocacy necessary to enact change, leaving 99% of humanity breathing harmful air. OpenAQ helps fill this important data gap by aggregating and harmonizing disparate air quality data to create a unique open-source data platform available for universal use.
As our name attests, OpenAQ is all about openness and transparency. Open Data Charter’s principles are music to our ears:
(1) Open by Default
(2) Timely and Comprehensive
(3) Accessible and Usable
(4) Comparable and Interoperable
(5) For Improved Governance & Citizen Engagement
(6) For Inclusive Development and Innovation
Perhaps something (good) was in the air when these principles were developed in 2015, as it was the same year the OpenAQ platform was initially launched!
OpenAQ proudly supports the Open Data Charter and hopes our endorsement will encourage others to do the same. Visit the Open Data Charter website to learn more.
