The Open-data Cities Conference will take place in Brighton and Hove on Friday, April 20 2012, at the Brighton Dome Corn Exchange.

The high-profile conference – the first of its kind in the United Kingdom – will focus on how publicly-funded organisations can engage with citizens to build more creative, prosperous and accountable communities.

It will be attended by up to 200 people who believe the value of public data is greatest when it is freely and openly shared. They will be leaders from the public sector, arts and cultural organisations, and creative and digital industries.

Keynote speakers will inspire discussions about the potential impact of open data in four specific areas:

• improvement in democratically-accountable public services;
• enhancement of artistic and cultural experiences;
• development of new technologies, including the semantic web;
• innovation in media industries, including newspapers and television.

• Leigh Dodds, of Kasabi, an online marketplace that brings developers and data-publishers;
• Bill Thompson, head of partnerhsip development, archive development at the BBC;
• Drew Hemment, founder and chief executive officer of FutureEverything;
• Dr Laura James, foundation coordinator of the Open Knowledge Foundation;
• Lean Doody, who leads work on smart cities for Arup, the global firm of consulting engineers;
• John Barradell, chief executive of Brighton and Hove City Council;
• Emer Coleman, deputy director of digital engagement at the Government Digital Service;
• Tom Steinberg is founder and director of mySociety, which runs many of the best-known democracy websites, including TheyWorkForYou;
• Jonathan Carr-West, director of the Local Government Information Unit;
• Ian Holt, who is responsible for encouraging innovative use of Ordnance Survey mapping data. 

Contact: @GregHadfield Email: greghadfield@hotmail.com Telephone: 07801 569541

Conference website: opendatacitiesconference.com

Twitter: @OpendataCities

Hashtag: #ODCC