First Five with Darine Benkalha
A series where we get to know people within ODC’s network
We put out an open call a couple months ago for a new co-chair for our Implementation Working Group. We’re so pleased to introduce Darine Benkalha, from the Government of Canada as our new co-chair and get to know her better through a mini Q&A:
- Where are you on your open data journey?
I joined the Open Government Team at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat in 2019. Since then, my work has been primarily focused on the implementation of open government activities within the federal government and supporting Canada’s international open government activities. While my responsibilities gravitate towards open government writ large, I also work on open data in many ways.
When I first joined the team, I supported a colleague with the coordination of Canada Open Government Working Group, a forum for multi-jurisdictional information sharing and collaboration on open government initiatives. This group is where I have first been introduced to open data and to the Open Data Charter’s work and principles. Seeing local governments working towards adopting the Charter’s standards for the collection, publication and sharing of data, or advancing federation of data initiatives, provided me with a good overview of the ins and outs of open data.
This experience has given me the open data foundations I am using today to support federal departments and agencies with the implementation of their open government activities. These past few months, and especially with the pandemic, we have been accompanying our federal counterparts in the release of open data on Canada’s Open Government Portal, managed by my colleagues from our Open Government Portal Team. Thanks to their expertise and support, I have been able to learn more about the technical aspects of open data (e.g., publishing in a CSV file, benefits of linked open data, intricacies of open licences, etc.). I have to say that my participation in the ODC’s IWG has also strengthened my “practical” understanding of open data. Listening to the experiences shared by my government and civil society peers from all around the world has really been eye-opening and enriching.
More recently, I have also developed a strong interest in disaggregated data through my involvement in my team’s Inclusive Open Government activities where we strive to mainstream inclusion and Gender Based Analysis Plus principles across Canada’s open government activities. I am thus trying to learn more about this topic by engaging with departments and agencies that are publishing this type of data or using it to inform their policies and programs. I am also actively following what organisations like Data2X, Pollicy, Data4sdgs and others are publishing to stay updated on disaggregated data progresses and best practices.
2. Do you have a favourite IWG memory or session?
A few months ago, the ODC in partnership with the OECD, came up with a very neat concept called COVID-19 open data meetups to connect with local communities and find out the needs they have for data during the pandemic and prioritize the release of the identified data. This formula was accompanied by ready-to-use guidance that governments and organizations could use to organize their own open data meetups. I attended the meetup organized by the ODC, as well as the Canadian event hosted by Open North which were both extremely well done. A few months later, the ODC published some very comprehensive Covid-19 Data Cards that were partly informed by these open data meetups held all around the world. I remember being very impressed by how quickly the ODC and its community shifted their attention towards the pandemic and succeeded so well to demonstrate the value of open data as a tool to respond to such an important and complex crisis.
Another good IWG memory would be the Data ethics session for which I was trusted to write a summary blog. During this conversation, I was particularly drawn to the ODI’s Data Ethics Canvas which is a wonderful tool outlining key ethical considerations anyone who collects, shares or uses data should think about when managing data projects. I often go back to the Canvas and have shared it many times with colleagues and partners as a resource for their open data activities. Writing the blog was also a very fulfilling experience as the piece has been translated in Farsi by Iran Open Data. Since then, I like to think about the ODC as a space where I can develop friendships with open data champions and experts from all around the world.
3. Share your vision: What does the world’s future look like with open data fully implemented and integrated?
With open data fully (and rightfully) implemented, I think we can hope for a fairer and more sustainable world for all. Indeed, I believe that open data is key to an accountable, transparent, and inclusive governance model capable of responding to the world’s biggest challenges, like climate change or the current pandemic. And it is not for nothing that more and more international instruments and conventions, like the SGDs, are adding open data layers and considerations to their strategies to respond to our societies’ “wicked-problems”.
On the sustainability front, it has been demonstrated by this ODC project and this World Bank blog that open data can help advance all of the SDG’s goals, from ensuring access to affordable and sustainable energy for all (SDG7) to taking urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts (SDG13). The more information we have to predict the course of climate change, understand household energy consumption or identify at-risk areas and populations, the more we will be able to mitigate the impacts of the environmental crisis and build sustainable alternatives for the future. As far as inclusion is concerned, open equity data will be key to tackle inequalities as it provides clear evidence on how different groups and communities are being served, or underserved, by public services and are being affected by issues like food security, access to education and health services, or data biases in new technologies and artificial intelligence.
And those are just a few examples demonstrating how open data that is collected, published, and used with strong standards and in ethical ways, is the foundation needed for better informed decisions and policies, and can help improve our societies and systems in a way that won’t leave anyone behind.
4. Do you have a favourite open data project or initiative or one that you encountered recently that left an impression on you?
This is a very difficult question as there are so many important and inspiring open data initiatives out there that deserve attention! With that being said, I have to say that this year’s Data Through Design (DxD) exhibit has really left a strong impression on me. DxD is an independent collective which organizes exhibitions celebrating tangible and multimedia expressions of New York City’s Open Data. They provide space for creative engagement with data and new perspectives and understanding of its role in our society. Their “Ground Truth” exhibit (2021) investigates the power of data and information received from the ground, through direct observation, as opposed as through usual ways of collection (surveys, samples, or reports, etc.). I was really fascinated by how each of the artists featured in the exhibit used data visualization in such creative ways to make the information tangible and easily understandable to the viewer, thus translating real-life experiences into the digital world.
In “Every Row is a Garden” by Alec Barrett, you can see beautiful data visualization inspired by ecological and botanical shapes depicting five community gardens in Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Bronx. How inspiring to see a data project encouraging New Yorkers to find comfort and community while connecting to nature, and to spend time in and volunteer with their local community gardens!
In “Big Apple Recipes”, Snoweria Zhang uses visualization to situates abstract datasets in objects available in households thus granting to the visitor an intuitive way to understand data through sound, taste, and touch. Head to the “Touch” part of the project to test the recipe creating a print of the distribution of height among New Yorkers by looking at where they hold subway poles!
5. Lastly, what’s your favourite view (or spot in your neighborhood)?
My favorite spot in my neighborhood is Brébeuf Park which has a lovely view on Ottawa. People go there to surf or swim, but I love sitting on the rocks in the water and reading a good book… or meditate!
Darine Benkalha is a Policy Analyst, Program Implementation and Intergovernmental Relations, Open Government Office of the Chief Information Officer for the Government of Canada. She is also the new co-chair of our Implementation Working Group. If you would like to be a part of our Implementation Working Group, please don’t hesitate to get in touch: info@opendatacharter.org.
This blog is part of a series in which we get to know people within ODC’s network and the open data community.
