Open Knowledge Network
Encyclopedia
The Open Knowledge Network (OKN) is a project founded by OneWorld International. It is active in parts of Africa and South Asia as a human network, which collects, shares and disseminates local knowledge and is supported by flexible technical solutions.
Heads of State to make a decisive contribution to bridging the digital divide. The G8 Genoa
Plan of Action called for "national and international effort to support local content and applications creation." As a result of this high level commitment, the process of defining solutions began in 2000 through the DOTForce’s Local Content Working Group, chaired by OneWorld International.
In early 2002, the OKN concept was tested in a short pilot with the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation
(MSSRF) in South India
, in the first collaboration with an existing local-level knowledge sharing initiative. This experience was based on and supported by the MSSRF’s existing activities and infrastructure. The OKN concept was refined according to the results of the pilot and then presented to an international workshop held in Chennai, India, in May 2002.
The set-up phase of the full OKN programme began in October 2002, with a series of workshops held in different parts of Africa to present the OKN framework to a range of actors and to see how it could be adapted to fit different realities. The first African pilot began in East Africa
in July 2003.
It has been involved in some innovative programs for SMS
and TTS
in Swahili
in Kenya
and also the development of an open version of the eNRICH software.
OKN also maintains e-mail lists in English and in French.
History
OKN grew out of the Digital Opportunity Task Force (DOTForce) set up by the G8G8
The Group of Eight is a forum, created by France in 1975, for the governments of seven major economies: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In 1997, the group added Russia, thus becoming the G8...
Heads of State to make a decisive contribution to bridging the digital divide. The G8 Genoa
27th G8 summit
-Overview:The Group of Seven was an unofficial forum which brought together the heads of the richest industrialized countries: France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada starting in 1976. The G8, meeting for the first time in 1997, was formed with the addition...
Plan of Action called for "national and international effort to support local content and applications creation." As a result of this high level commitment, the process of defining solutions began in 2000 through the DOTForce’s Local Content Working Group, chaired by OneWorld International.
In early 2002, the OKN concept was tested in a short pilot with the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation
MS Swaminathan Research Foundation
The M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation is a non-profit NGO trust based in Chennai, India. It develops and promotes strategies for economic growth that directly target increased employment of poor women in rural areas. Their methods maximize the use of science and technology for equitable and...
(MSSRF) in South India
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
, in the first collaboration with an existing local-level knowledge sharing initiative. This experience was based on and supported by the MSSRF’s existing activities and infrastructure. The OKN concept was refined according to the results of the pilot and then presented to an international workshop held in Chennai, India, in May 2002.
The set-up phase of the full OKN programme began in October 2002, with a series of workshops held in different parts of Africa to present the OKN framework to a range of actors and to see how it could be adapted to fit different realities. The first African pilot began in East Africa
East Africa
East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
in July 2003.
Principles
OKN was designed around the following seven principles, based on extensive research into successful projects as well as existing barriers to local content creation and exchange:- building on the experience of others
- building capacity in communities to support knowledge sharing
- working offline for free, but synchronizing with the Net
- peer-to-peer networking of existing Knowledge Workers
- standards for metadata using XML
- agreed open content copyright licenses
- sustainable business models adapted to different contexts.
Organization
The coordinating organisation behind OKN is OneWorld International, but the OKN network is made up of many partners. The hub partner organisations involved in its work in Africa and India are:- ALINArid Lands Information NetworkArid Lands Information Network is a Kenyan-based non-governmental organisation that seeks to exchange ideas and experiences among "grassroots change agents"...
(KenyaKenyaKenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
) - ARAVIS (IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
) - Datamation Foundation (IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
) - the DigiDAG consortium (NepalNepalNepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
) - Drishtee (IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
) - ENDA Cyberpop (SenegalSenegalSenegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
) - ICTA (Sri LankaSri LankaSri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
) - Jamana (MaliMaliMali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
) in collaboration with Afribone - MSSRFMS Swaminathan Research FoundationThe M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation is a non-profit NGO trust based in Chennai, India. It develops and promotes strategies for economic growth that directly target increased employment of poor women in rural areas. Their methods maximize the use of science and technology for equitable and...
(IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
) - SAFIRE (ZimbabweZimbabweZimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
) - SchoolNet Uganda (UgandaUgandaUganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
) - TARAhaat (IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
) - The Energy Resources Institute (TERI) (IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
) - CIUEM (MozambiqueMozambiqueMozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
)
Activities
OKN is working for knowledge sharing with attention to local languages as well as the means to exchange among diverse peoples.It has been involved in some innovative programs for SMS
SMS
SMS is a form of text messaging communication on phones and mobile phones. The terms SMS or sms may also refer to:- Computer hardware :...
and TTS
TTS
TTS is a three-letter abbreviation that may refer to:In computing:* Text-To-Speech.* Trouble Ticket System - a former name of Issue tracking system.* Teletypesetter.In video games:* Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes.In music:...
in Swahili
Swahili language
Swahili or Kiswahili is a Bantu language spoken by various ethnic groups that inhabit several large stretches of the Mozambique Channel coastline from northern Kenya to northern Mozambique, including the Comoro Islands. It is also spoken by ethnic minority groups in Somalia...
in Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
and also the development of an open version of the eNRICH software.
OKN also maintains e-mail lists in English and in French.