Strategic Recommendations for ODC on the Role of Open Data in Cambodia's New Pentagonal Strategy

Open Development Cambodia (ODC) has established itself as a trusted and reliable source of data in Cambodia and the Mekong Region. Despite challenges for open data in Cambodia such as low prioritization of an open data governance structure, ODC has continued to grow as an organization and contributed significantly to the availability of open data through expanding its data offerings and developing capacity development and training programs. It is well positioned to continue its growth in an underserved segment in Cambodia as the preeminent platform for data on development. Thus, ODC seeks to further its growth, maintain its core mission and values, and also consider alignment with the Cambodian Government, in particular the roll out of the Pentagonal Strategy Phase One outlining the country’s development priorities.  The SIPA workshop team was asked to review ODC’s strategy at its midpoint, to understand the changing landscape of open data and development in the country, and to create strategic recommendations for the organization to prioritize moving forward. 

Based on a mixed-methods approach, involving analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data, the SIPA team provided a number of recommendations for ODC to consider moving forward. These included: 

● Strengthening the citizen generated data initiative through training, awareness, and civil society outreach to tap into new data streams. 

● Empowering less tech-savvy users through enhancing data presentation and visualization to cater to a wider audience that prefers PDFs over data file formats. 

● Dividing up decision-making responsibilities to increase the organization’s agility and investing in talent development for employees to equip them with necessary skills. 

● Strengthening data advocacy at the national and regional level, encouraging governments to become more proactive in publishing open data and engaging with frameworks for open data. 

● Exploring untapped collaborations and forging international partnerships to bring the organization’s expertise and visibility to a larger audience. 

● Conducting a legal and operational assessment on the establishment of an independent enterprise arm which would allow for greater income-generating activities. 

Overall, the SIPA team found that ODC is well-positioned as an open data platform and trainer to upskill and reskill individuals, thereby enhancing greater data and digital literacy in the country. The team's proposed recommendations can further enhance the organization’s standing in Cambodia and align the organization’s strategy with the national development priorities.