The Open Development Initiative (ODI) is an open data and information network developed by EWMI that sheds light on development trends in the Lower Mekong Basin. The lower Mekong basin is a trans-boundary ecosystem shared by 6 countries providing a central livelihood and food security to 65 million people as the largest inland fishery in the world. ODI’s objective is to increase public awareness, enable individual analysis, improve information sharing, and inform rigorous debate – all contributing to the sustainable development of the region from a social, economic and environmental perspective. The flagship site of this initiative is Open Development Cambodia (ODC) www.opendevcam.net. The site independently aggregates information across a wide range of sectors to draw a development portrait employing innovative visuals, including GIS mapping and time lapse animation of development issues.  By combining open data, data journalism, and research capacities and approaches, the initiative offers one-stop shopping for data on country or regional development for civil society, the private and public sector. Our aim is to regionalize this platform with identified partners in all countries bordering the Mekong. A new site serving the entire region is now available at http://www.opendevelopmentmekong.net/.

Open Development Initiative and Open Development Cambodia have been supported by various donors, including: the American Jewish World Service, Norwegian People’s Aid, SPIDER, Open Society Foundations, and USAID.