About this project
SkyCommons Observatory was created by the Open Knowledge Foundation, a non-profit organisation working at the intersection of technology, openness, and governance.
Open Knowledge has been a pioneer in creating tools, standards, and coalitions to make information and technology systems more transparent, participatory, and accountable for over twenty years. We authored the Open Definition, created widely adopted open licensing standards, launched Open Trials to expose gaps in medical research transparency, and developed the Global Open Data Index — a benchmark adopted by dozens of governments that led to profound reform of public sector information sharing dynamics.
SkyCommons Observatory is a project of Open Knowledge’s new Frontiers of Openness initiative. It is a prototype to map power, expose risks, and advance public-interest principles, such as openness, interoperability, and accountability, into the technical, legal, and policy frameworks that govern our common skies, starting with LEO satellite infrastructure. We feature locally produced research, based on public information, openly available datasets, accessible narratives and visuals. Our goal is to expand the prototype into a permanent global monitoring node that will serve as a shared platform for data and research curation, coordination, capacity building and advocacy around the world.
Keep in touch
Long term, we would love to see a community evolve around this project with regular meetings and updates about satellite internet connectivity around the world, with the first one taking place in September.
We started a thread in the Open Knowledge Forum for feedback on everything related to the SkyCommons project. Please join us there.
You can also email us on info@okfn.org and a team member will reply.
Thanks to the team who developed the SkyCommons Observatory prototype:
Renata Ávila, Burcu Kilic, Solana Larsen, Lucas Pretti, Andrés Vázquez, Leticia Coelho, Joana Varon, Maureen Penjueli, Wahyudi Djafar, Imran Mohd Rasid, Mariam Saliu, Anna Romandash, Mustapha Iderawumi
Website, data and design: Christian Laesser