Documents & Research Library

The Caribbean Open Institute maintains an electronic library of documents relating to Caribbean Open Data and Communications issues, topics and interests, including presentations, short papers, articles and other relevant documents. We have also compiled a growing reference catalog of current and emerging research on Open Data and Open Institutional approaches. Access the Research Library

Title Abstract Authorsort ascending Date Published
Open Agricultural Data in Jamaica – Caribbean Knowledge Economy

This project was conceptualized with the basic objectives of:
a) Exploring the feasibility of a Pilot Project that applies the concept of OpenData to Agriculture
Production in Jamaica
b) Building a demonstration prototype of an application that illustrates how open data can improve directly
and indirectly the efficiency of value chains in Agriculture in Jamaica, with emphasis on small farmers.
This final project report describes three streams of outcomes that have emerged from the initiative:
i. Development of technology artifacts to demonstrate the concepts of OpenData
ii. Engagement of key constituents and stakeholders through high visibility events
iii. Future possibilities & opportunities for OpenData initiatives in Jamaica and the Caribbean

Centre of Excellence, Mona School of Business, UWI

Aug,2011 Read More...

Open Government Partnership, Open Data and FOI – A road map towards convergence

A joint presentation made at the "Regional Conference on Freedom of Information Laws (FOI) in the Caribbean – Improving Management for the Environment" - a conference organized to provide an opportunity for dialogue and sharing of experiences on the adoption and implementation of FOI laws in the Caribbean as well as outlining regional possibilities for advancement and collaboration.

This presentation, delivered jointly by Dr Maurice McNaughton, Mona School of Business & Management, University of West Indies and Mrs Carole Excell, Senior Associate, World Resources Institute, sought to explore the philosophical differences and institutional synergy between the FOI and Open Data, communities, and the role of key actors, including civil society FOI practitioners, government institutions, the media, technology intermediaries and citizens in crafting the emergence of an Open Data Ecosystem that builds on, and is in harmony with the existing FOI institutional framework.

Carole Excell & Maurice McNaughton

Mar,2013 Read More...

Developing the Caribbean Brief - 2013

The Caribbean Open Data Conference is a regional technology conference and code sprint, focused on open data, software innovation, and technology trends.

Caribbean Open Institute & Slashroots

Mar,2013 Read More...

DevCA2013 - Open Data Conference and Code Sprint

The Developing the Caribbean Open Data Conference and Code Sprint (DevCa) is a
multi-country event, comprising a two day conference and 24 hour developer competition,
focused on open innovation, open data and civic tech trends. The third staging of the event took
place from April 11-12, 2013. This year’s regional participation included 5 locations across:
● Jamaica
● Trinidad & Tobago
● Dominican Republic
● Guyana
● Cuba.

Caribbean Open Institute & Slashroots

Jul,2014 Read More...

Exploring the Potential Impacts Of Open Data In The Caribbean Through Participatory Budgeting

This project will seek to build on the Open Data capabilities and initiatives currently being implemented by the Caribbean Open Institute (COI), with a specific emphasis on open data applications in the upstream and downstream stages of the national budget cycle.

Caribbean Open Institute

Jan,2013 Read More...

Official Statistics Sector Study

The peculiarities of Small Island Developing States (SIDS), small land masses and low population numbers, impact upon the nature of open data an official statistics. Statistical processes are built around the precepts of protection of the identity of individual data provider, the provider being a natural person or a corporate entity. The protection of the privacy of the data provider is built into the various Statistics Acts and all the rules and guidelines used in developing the various statistical products.
The review of four (4) SIDS, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, St. Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago being part of the Caribbean Region, to determine their readiness for the publication of Official Statistics in an open data platform reveals that there a number of challenges that would have to be overcome before official statistics can be published as open data.

Caribbean Open Institute

Read More...

Fisheries and Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) Sector Study

This scoping study was conducted within an overarching research project “Harnessing Open Data to Achieve Development Results in Latin America and the Caribbean”, funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and executed by the Caribbean Open Institute (COI) in collaboration with partners Iniciativa Latinoamericana por los Datos Abiertos (ILDA), Fundacion Avina, Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the Organization of American States (OAS). The larger project explores how open data policies and strategies can contribute to the development agenda in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) through the following general objectives:
1. To improve understanding of the demand for, and use of, Open Data for development in the Caribbean
2. To support the collaborative development of products and services between government, civil society, academic institutions and entrepreneurs
3. To promote the development and adoption of emerging open standards that enable open data initiatives to scale up
4. To explore mechanisms for open data to address the needs of marginalized groups, focusing particularly on, but not limited to, youth, women and urban poor.
This particular study is one of five regional sector-specific scoping studies undertaken in support of Objective 1. It examines the nature, use and potential impacts of open data in fisheries and marine protected areas (MPAs) in a sample of Caribbean countries: Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Bahamas, Jamaica and Dominican Republic.

Caribbean Open Institute

Dec,2015 Read More...

Tourism Sector Study

The Caribbean tourism sector can benefit from Open Data initiatives to bring value to the tourism industry stakeholders and Caribbean economies. In some Caribbean islands, tourism is the primary contributor to economic success. This success needs to be sustained as although Caribbean tourism destinations have a long history of providing tourism products and services, greater global competition and new emerging tourism destination can threaten the success from tourism activity. There is recognition that tourism data can be a catalyst for the promotion of a viable tourism sector. Hence, this Open Data report about the Caribbean tourism sector can contribute to identification of the issues and challenges with making greater access to tourism data.

The report has several sections that handle the WWF and the ORDN Open Data reference frameworks. These were utilized to examine the state of readiness of the Caribbean tourism sector for Open Data initiatives. The research study was conducted in five (5) Caribbean countries with different levels of tourism activity. This is important for scaling Open Data initiatives in the regions and the potential impacts can be assessed based on the various tourism contexts. Certain Caribbean tourism policy issues were identified based on a CTO report and these were explored in relation to the usefulness of tourism data.

Caribbean Open Institute

Dec,2015 Read More...

Open Government Data: A Catalyst for Jamaica’s Growth and Innovation Agenda

This paper estimates the potential impact of Open Government Data on the Jamaican economy at a macro level and at sector-specific levels, by scaling the expected GDP contributions derived from a meta-analysis of the existing literature The results of this analysis show that Open Data implementation has the potential to contribute between JA$2.2 and JA$2.9 billion to Jamaica’s economy through the Education sector and JA 10 billion through the Agricultural Sector. Similar initiatives in the Tourism sector, are projected to improve productivity between 1-10%, realizing a potential economic impact of between JA$ 2.4 and JA$ 23.7 billion.

CaPRI - Caribbean Policy Research Institute

Aug,2014 Read More...

Impact 2.0: New mechanisms for linking research and policy

This book features case studies and reports on the use of “web 2.0″ and social networking applications and services to increase the impact of research on policy in Latin America. During 2010 and 2011 Fundación Comunica, with funding from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC, Canada) and assistance from the Association for Progressive Communications (APC), supported a series of small research projects examining the use of online social networking services to link research and policy in the region. Twelve projects were supported, most of them selected from ninety-seven proposals received following the distribution of a call for proposals in May 2010. Two types of projects were supported: (i) action research projects involved both implementing and evaluating a specific use of one or more online social networking services to link research and policy or researchers and policymakers, and (ii) more conventional ones evaluated existing initiatives implemented by third parties.

Bruce Girard & Estela Acosta y Lara

Sep,2012 Read More...