[WSIS CS-Plenary] open access versus open content

Wed Apr 13 07:17:10 BST 2005

if it helps, we would be happy to share the experience of the Open Knowledge 
Network, which has been slowly growing over the past three years and is now 
working in Kenya, Tanzania, Senegal, Zimbabwe, Mali, Uganda, India and Sri 
Lanka. 

In brief the idea is to find ways of sharing local knowledge in local languages 
using offline working and p2p file sharing rather than web publishing. The aim 
is to counter the trend to privatise knowledge by offering an open content 
alternative for knowledge sharing. Many organisations are co-operating in this 
approach and you can find more information at www.openknowledge.net.

Cheers, Peter.

Quoting Atanu Garai <atanu.garai at oneworld.net>:

> sorry for late replying to this thread.
> i guess this discussion would be extremely fruitful if we can raise this
> issue in the upcoming wgig meeting. apparently there is no issue paper on
> this - so we need to know how to proceed further in this regard.
> 
> atanu
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: plenary-admin at wsis-cs.org [mailto:plenary-admin at wsis-cs.org]On
> Behalf Of Parminder
> Sent: Friday, April 08, 2005 1:57 PM
> To: plenary at wsis-cs.org
> Subject: RE: [WSIS CS-Plenary] open access versus open content
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Dear Atanu,
> 
> Yes, I agree that the open content paradigm is a better construct than open
> access, and will include the later.
> 
> The Geneva POA fails to address this issue, and most discussions on this
> list also seem to skirt it.
> 
> Open access is a knowledge sharing/transfer paradigm for those who already
> are engaged substantially with such processes.
> 
> As you rightly point out >>> open access which currently refers to
> academic/ scientific publishing >>>
> 
> But there is a very vast number of people, whom development discourses are
> meant to address most, who do not at present engage in any substantial
> manner with civilisational knowledge sharing/transfer processes at levels
> beyond narrow geographical and cultural confines.
> 
> We do not at present speak much about the legal/IPR/free-access issues for
> knowledge needs of these people because there just aren't any effective
> processes and conduits for knowledge sharing/transfer for them at present.
> Print-literacy as a technology had a great impact, but the limitations are
> as glaring.
> 
> However, new ICTs promise to lay down a technological infrastructure for
> unlimited knowledge sharing/transfer even for these people. Immediately
> then, the issue of legal free access to the needed content for these people
> becomes the central question.
> 
> A field project that we are putting up for digital audio-visual content for
> poor rural women in India is already running into the problem of sourcing
> digital developmental content. Even agencies working for development -
> including government agencies - often do not understand the need of,  or a
> IP regime paradigm for, freely copying development content that in any case
> is made with the purpose to reach as many people in need as possible.
> 
> An open content paradigm for development content is as much or more of a
> pressing need as the open access paradigm, as it is currently understood and
> applied.
> 
> Regards
> 
> Parminder
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ______________________________________
> Parminder Jeet Singh
> IT for Change, Bangalore
> Bridging Development Realities and Technological Possibilities
> www.ITforChange.net
> Ph: 91 80 2665 4134
> Mobile: 91 98 4594 9445
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: plenary-admin at wsis-cs.org [mailto:plenary-admin at wsis-cs.org] On Behalf
> Of Atanu Garai
> Sent: 08 April 2005 10:34
> To: plenary at wsis-cs.org
> Subject: RE: [WSIS CS-Plenary] ITU and open access recommendations of WSIS
> 
> It seems that the issue of open content (I would prefer the term open
> content as it is broader in scope than open access which currently refers to
> academic/ scientific publishing. Open access is now practiced more or less
> in scientific information only - for instance D-Space instances of MIT) can
> be mapped within the WGIG issues basket (content?). despite of the great
> advocacy efforts of the open access communities, the message has not been
> translated into WSIS policy.
> 
> /Atanu
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: plenary-admin at wsis-cs.org [mailto:plenary-admin at wsis-cs.org]On
> Behalf Of karen banks
> Sent: Thursday, April 07, 2005 1:15 PM
> To: plenary at wsis-cs.org
> Subject: RE: [WSIS CS-Plenary] ITU and open access recommendations of
> WSIS
> 
> 
> dear parminder and all
> 
> I agree with you that ITU's case needs to be reviewed. Most of the UN
> >organisations have book sale facilities, but at the same time, unlike ITU,
> a
> >good amount of the titles are made available through websites as well,
> >typical example UNESCO and World Bank. If we have to implement the POA
> text,
> >ITU should open its repository of knowledge.
> 
> i'm interested in this particularly at the moment as the WGIG is finalising
> the 'assessment' papers of existing governance mechanisms in respect the
> 'basket' of issues identified as important in the governance landscape.
> 
> there is one section on content accessibility and i would really appreciate
> more/additional factual comments as regards the extent to which
> organisations - particularly UN agencies, make their content available, and
> under what circumstances - but also, interested in government policies that
> promote open access models..
> 
> would need this pretty quickly though.. and, the info needs to be as brief
> and succinct as possible..
> 
> karen
> 
> 
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