Training on “Open Data Basics” was organized within the scope of the “Open Data and Smart Cities Project” supported by the UK and run by the NovuSens Big Data Institute on 3 December 2019 at UCLG-MEWA (United Cities and Local Governments Middle East and West Asia Section) office, in Istanbul, Turkey. The training was given by Dr. Dave Tarrant, Senior Learning Advisor from the Open Data Institute in England. The full-time training was attended by relevant decision-makers and experts from municipalities, public institutions, and non-governmental organizations.
The training started with the welcoming speech of Mehmet Duman, UCLG-MEWA Secretary General, and Zeynep Karaman, a representative from the British Consulate. Mr. Duman and Ms. Karaman emphasized the importance of stakeholders and municipalities getting informed on open data science to help managers with the decision-making processes in order to move forward and ensure the confidentiality and security of data.
During the training, the participants had the opportunity to discuss and learn about open data, its benefits to municipalities, the key ingredients for a successful open data initiative, how to build a healthy data ecosystem with all types of data, and how to improve the quality of data. The training was successful and fruitful thanks to the active participation of the attendees.
The training concluded with the distribution of certificates of completion to the participants, which was followed by a photo taking session.