Open Digital Ecosystems or ODEs are the public infrastructure that we need for an increasingly digital world. We define them as “open and secure digital platforms that enable a community of actors to unlock transformative solutions for society, based on a robust governance framework.”
ODEs enable interoperability between siloed systems so that innovators can build solutions on top, by leveraging open source software, open data, open standards, open licenses and open APIs.
We believe the ‘non-tech’ layers of ODEs – governance, and community, play a critical role in determining both benefits and potential harms.
Our vision is to support bold entrepreneurs both within the government and non-government practitioners, to grow the movement to maximize benefits and minimize harms based on a set of guiding principles to create such ODEs.
At Omidyar Network India we believe Open Digital Ecosystems (ODEs) have the potential to be the new frontier of ‘GoodTech’. The initiative on ODEs is cross-cutting across the six core initiatives of Omidyar Network India, and also complements our global efforts to support Beneficial Technology, including Digital Public Infrastructure.
Support responsible ODE builds and pilots through investments in platform design, architecture and/or technical support to demonstrate the impact potential of ODEs in practice
Support creation and implementation of 'good governance' for ODEs through technology, rules and processes to mitigate potential risks of ODEs
Support a vibrant community of open source technologists, start-ups, and civil society to drive adoption of responsible ODEs
