For more than a decade, Open Data Manchester (ODM) has been raising awareness of the opportunities and challenges of using data, and supporting individuals and organisations to build their understanding and skills.
Our Annual General Meeting usually happens in December each year (postponed to January 2021 due to COVID) and below is our latest official documentation.
To ensure we are fulfilling our own goals around transparency and accountability, we are hoping to make sure the community is involved in the future, so do sign up to our newsletter to make sure you get an invite.
Case Studies
At Open Data Manchester, we’re committed to making a real difference through our projects. The following case studies showcase some of our recent work and its impact on communities and organisations. Each overview provides a snapshot of the project, with the option to download the full case study for more details.
Right to the Streets – Developing a Community-Led Urban Assessment Tool
Open Data Manchester collaborated with GM Moving and Trafford Council on this Home Office-funded project which aimed to address gender-based violence in public spaces. Through workshops and mapping exercises with local residents, Open Data Manchester developed a Place Review tool that empowers residents to asses and improve their neighbourhoods, fostering community engagement and creating a replicable model for urban safety programmes.
Download Full Case Study (PDF)
Ethical Dilemma Cafe – Exploring Data Ethics Through Interactive Scenarios
In collaboration with BBC R&D, Mozilla, and the V&A Museum, Open Data Manchester created an interactive experience exploring data ethics. Through pop-up exhibitions and engaging scenarios, the Ethical Dilemma Cafe challenges participants to reconsider their relationship with personal data and digital services. This ongoing project has increased public awareness of data ethics issues and contributed to the discourse on digital rights and literacy.
Download Full Case Study (PDF)
Open3R Open Data Standard for Household Waste Recycling Centres
Open Data Manchester collaborated with Your Dsposal to develop Open3R, an open data standard for household waste recycling centres. Through stakeholder workshops and research, they created a prototype enabling local authorities to publish standardised information about recycling facilities. This project aims to improve public access to recycling information and attracted interest from global technology institutions for wider implementation.
Download Full Case Study (PDF)
Creating a Cooperative Model for Managing Energy Data
Open Data Manchester partnered with Carbon Coop to explore a cooperative model for managing energy data. Through workshops and community engagement, we investigated how energy data could be collected and shared more effectively, benefiting individual members and wider society. The project resulted in a published report and an event on building data cooperatives, which garnered international interest and sparked the ODM-run Data Cooperative Working Group.
Research IT Strategy Data Gathering – Aligning Services with Academic Needs
Open Data Manchester conducted a comprehensive assessment of the University of Manchester’s Research IT services, engaging over 60 researchers across 9 schools. Through workshops and interviews, the project identified key research needs, usage barriers, and future requirements. The findings informed the development of Research IT’s first-ever strategy, enhancing service alignment with diverse researcher needs and highlighting opportunities for improvement.
Download Full Case Study (PDF)
Collaborating on Automated Decision-Making Principles
Open Data Manchester partnered with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority to develop principles for public sector engagement when using Automated Decision-Making (ADM) tools. Through workshops and collaborative drafting involving diverse stakeholders, the project created 13 concise principles to guide ADM practices. These publicly available guidelines aim to establish trusted standards for accountability in ADM technologies across public sector organisations.
Download Full Case Study (PDF)
Mapping Mobility Stockport – collecting mobility and accessibility data
Open Data Manchester collaborated with Stockport Council, Disability Stockport, and Age UK Stockport to collect geospatial data on mobility barriers and accessible routes around Stockport town centre. Using co-designed workshops and outdoor mapping expeditions, the project revealed challenges in current mapping technologies and inspired further exploration of inclusive data standards for urban accessibility.
Download Full Case Study (PDF)
Citizens Advice Manchester – Leveraging Data For Better Service Delivery
Open Data Manchester supported Citizens Advice Manchester (CAM) in harnessing their extensive dataset of 48,000 annual calls. Through data surgeries, advice and advocacy, ODM guided CAM to help them identify valuable data and appropriate tools. This support enabled CAM to make their contact centre data more accessible organisation-wide, leading to improved service delivery for their clients.