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The World Wide Web Foundation has today announced that its first \u2018Open Data Lab<\/a>\u2019 will officially open its doors on 5 February in Jakarta, Indonesia. To mark the occasion, a launch event will be held at the Sari Pan Pacific Hotel\u2019s Istana Ballroom. Open data enthusiasts and experts from across the region will gather to present and discuss how open data\u2019s potential can be harnessed to fight poverty, tackle corruption and build successful businesses. Hosting the evening will be Anne Jellema<\/a>, CEO of the Web Foundation, who will be joined by a representative of the Jakarta City Governor.<\/p>\n The first in a planned network of Labs, the Open Data Lab Jakarta will experiment with open data in a number of ways. Using a combination<\/a> of research, incubation, training and engagement, the goal is to accelerate progress and ensure that open data rapidly becomes a vital tool to tackle practical problems in developing and emerging economies. Pre-launch, the Lab team has already been hard at work on projects in Jakarta<\/a>, other areas<\/a> in Indonesia, and all across the region<\/a>, and will be sharing early learnings from these on launch night.<\/p>\n Open data has been gaining momentum in the past year across the Southeast Asia region, especially in Indonesia. In the World Wide Web Foundation\u2019s recently released Open Data Barometer<\/a>, Indonesia ranked 36th \u2014 the top-ranked emerging economy and the biggest climber in the 86-country study. This reflects the increasing readiness, implementation and impact of open data in the country. A recent notable use<\/a> of open data saw enhanced transparency in the vote-tallying during last year\u2019s elections*<\/b>.<\/p>\n Commenting, Jose M. Alonso<\/a>, head of the Web Foundation\u2019s Open Data programme, said:<\/p>\n \u201cWe are delighted to open our first Open Data Lab in Jakarta. President Jokowi has laid out a vision of an Indonesia with less corruption, greater transparency and enhanced democratic participation. Open data, accessed through a free and open Web, has the potential to deliver these benefits. Through our plans for capacity building and innovation, we are confident the Open Data Lab will play a significant role in achieving these aims, benefitting all Indonesians and sparking a movement across Southeast Asia.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Ford Foundation\u2019s Senior Program Officer, Alexander Irwan, added:<\/p>\n \u201c<\/i>In the past six years, Indonesia has become more unequal. The Gini Coefficient Index of the country increased from 0.364 in 2007 to 0.413 in 2013. As a philanthropic organization that promotes social justice, Ford Foundation considers lack of access to information as a driver of inequality. We provide support to the promotion of open data with the goal of making data and information accessible to the citizens at large, and not just to policy makers and business entities. Democratic participation in public decision-making to make policies and budget allocations responsive to the needs of the poor and marginalized can only be meaningful and effective if it is based on accurate and up-to-date data and information.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n For any inquiries about the event, the Open Data Labs, projects and areas of work, contact: info@labs.webfoundations.org<\/a> or visit www.labs.webfoundation.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n