From CKAN to the transparency debate: Open Data Network Meeting discusses wide range of topics

The opening session took a close look at CKAN, theweb-based software for data catalogues, and the challenges smaller communities face in publishing open data. During the session on CKAN, participants considered the advantages and disadvantages of using the software to make open data available. The discussion on open data in smaller communities was initiated by Maximilian Pfannkuch, who is currently running for mayor of the central-German city of Linsengericht.

The discussion took a deeper turn during the second round, when the plenary session looked back at the public debate surrounding the cyberattack on the power grid in Berlin in early January. To give some background: Berlin’s governing mayor, Kai Wegener, was among those who, following the attack, called for an end to “too much transparency.” The feedback from the open data community on this issue was nuanced. On the one hand, participants said, risks to critical infrastructure must be taken into account and security gaps closed. On the other, such concerns should not lead to a dismantling of the considerable achievements that civil society has realized in recent years through its adoption of open data. The participants also noted that publishing open data increases transparency and can help citizens get involved and, under the right conditions, it serves as a pillar rather than a threat to a democratic community. Conversely, non-transparent structures would actually increase the risk of manipulation and thus run counter to the intended goal of greater security. 

In the final session, the network meeting returned to “traditional” open data topics. The issues discussed ranged from the open data barcamp in Hamburg in April to assistance in finding a suitable metadata database for municipal administrators, showing once again that the Open Data Network Meeting serves not only as an information platform but also as a support forum for all matters related to open data.

The next Open Data Network Meeting will take place on June 10, 2026 from 10:00 to 11:30 am. Anyone interested can sign up here. We will then keep you informed about upcoming network meetings.