OpenEPI: An open data platform for climate and innovation

The purpose of the project has been to build a technological framework that makes climate and environmental data available as a digital public good. This framework is intended not only to give developers, researchers and innovators access to critical data but also to enable local innovation where people are closest to the climate challenges.

Knowit has delivered a proof of concept for OpenEPI, a modular, vendor independent, multicloud API based platform that enables the collection, storage, enrichment and sharing of open environmental data in a standardized format. The solution has demonstrated how various datasets such as soil, weather and vegetation can be integrated and used for purposes like flood prediction, deforestation monitoring or wildfire risk analysis. The platform was developed by an autonomous, multidisciplinary team with expertise in development, data analysis, UX and architecture, using agile methodology with continuous iteration and regular demos. Knowit has also contributed with strategic advisory services, needs assessments among NORAD’s partners and global innovation challenges that have mobilized local innovators in several developing countries.

Through the Open Earth Platform Initiative, a robust digital infrastructure has been established that provides open access to climate and environmental data and to algorithms related to weather, water, soil and vegetation. These are key resources for areas such as sustainable agriculture, climate adaptation and disaster preparedness. The project has helped establish shared standards for data access and data sharing, which has enabled broad reuse and technological interoperability across actors. It has further strengthened NORAD’s collaboration with partners locally and globally and established shared work processes that combine technical development with strategic societal value. By making critical climate and environmental data accessible to all, the platform has laid the foundation for developing long term and sustainable solutions to climate challenges.

NORAD, the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, is a government directorate under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It manages and quality assures a large share of Norway’s development aid and contributes knowledge, analysis and evaluations to ensure maximum impact. NORAD works closely with civil society organizations, the private sector and international institutions on topics such as climate, education, health, human rights and gender equality, with the goal of contributing to a more just and sustainable world.

OpenEPI, the Open Earth Platform Initiative, is a project supported by NORAD and developed by Knowit. Its purpose was to find a solution that makes environmental and climate data more accessible through an open and scalable data platform. The project aims not only to improve access to data but also to support local innovation and knowledge sharing in regions most affected by the climate crisis.

The need for OpenEPI arose because many countries and communities in the global south lack simple access to reliable environmental and climate data. Often the data exist but are scattered, locked in closed systems or difficult for local actors such as researchers, organizations and decision makers to access. Without such access it becomes challenging to plan for climate adaptation, develop innovative solutions or make well informed decisions. OpenEPI was therefore designed to remove barriers, consolidate data in one place and make them open and user friendly so that both local and international actors can use this knowledge to address climate and environmental challenges more effectively.

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