Federal budget provides funding to create Open Data Institute

WATERLOO REGION, ON, Feb. 11, 2014 /PRNewswire/ - The Canadian Digital Media Network, the University of Waterloo, Communitech, OpenText and Desire2Learn are proud to announce the creation of the Open Data Institute, which has received support from the Government of Canada in today's budget.

The Open Data Institute will work with governments, academic institutions and the private sector to solve challenges facing Open Government efforts and realize the full potential of Open Data. These partners will work on development of common standards, the integration of data from different levels of government and the commercialization of data, allowing Canadians to derive greater economic benefit from datasets that are made available by all levels of government.

"This is a strategic investment in Canada's ability to lead the digital economy," said Dr. Kevin Tuer, Managing Director of CDMN. "Similar to how a common system of telephone exchanges allowed world-wide communication, the Open Data Institute will help create a common platform to share and access datasets. This will allow the development of new applications and products, creating new business opportunities and jobs across the country."

"OpenText software provides the foundation for collaboration within and between many governments around the world including the G20 and many of its member nations, and we are delighted to be a founding partner of Canada's Open Data Institute announced today," said OpenText President and CEO Mark J. Barrenechea. "The Institute will serve as a common forum for government, academia and the private sector to collaborate on Open Government initiatives with the goal of fueling Canadian tech innovation, a goal to which we are fully committed as Canada's largest software company."

"I am so pleased that the University of Waterloo is able to contribute to this important initiative," said Feridun Hamdullahpur, president and vice-chancellor of the University of Waterloo. "The Open Data Institute has the potential to strengthen the regional economy and increase our innovative capacity."

The Open Data Institute is a public-private partnership. The founding partners will contribute $3 million in cash and in-kind contributions over three years to establish the institute, which has been matched by the Government of Canada.

SOURCE The Canadian Digital Media Network