Open Data Watch
Open Data Watch is a non-profit that builds open-data monitoring tools — ODIN, Gender Data Compass, and the Open Climate Data Template — for national statistical offices and international development partners across nearly 200 countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersWashington, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Open Data Watch does
Open Data Watch (ODW) is a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit organization founded in 2014 that produces monitoring and assessment tools for the openness and coverage of official statistics, primarily serving national statistical offices in developing countries. Its core products include the Open Data Inventory (ODIN), a biennial assessment covering 197 countries across 22 categories of official statistics; the Gender Data Compass, which evaluates 53 gender indicators in 180+ countries; the Open Climate Data Template for assessing climate data accessibility; and the Data Value Chain framework. The methodology underpinning ODIN has been adopted as the basis for SDG Indicator 17.18.1, and ODW has secured open data as a permanent agenda item at the UN Statistical Commission, institutionalizing its tools within international standard-setting processes.
Open Data Watch firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Open Data Watch
- Legal name
- Open Data Watch
- Website
- https://opendatawatch.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Open Data Watch is a non-profit that builds open-data monitoring tools — ODIN, Gender Data Compass, and the Open Climate Data Template — for national statistical offices and international development partners across nearly 200 countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Open Data Watch industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Development Data Monitoring and Assessment
- NAICS
- Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Professional Organizations (81392)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Public Transparency Portals & Open Data Reporting (EDADAIAN)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Environmental Data, Monitoring, Remote Sensing & Early Warning (BPADALAN)
Keywords
Where Open Data Watch is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Washington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Open Data Watch business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Grant Funding and Donations: As a non-profit organization, Open Data Watch operates primarily through grant funding from development partners, foundations, and government donors. Their work on gender data financing analysis with Data2X, support for national statistical offices, and advocacy efforts are funded through these mechanisms.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels8 records
Open Data Watch product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Open Data Watch is a non-profit that produces open data monitoring and assessment tools (ODIN, Gender Data Compass, Open Climate Data Template) that measure the coverage and openness of official statistics in approximately 197 countries. The organization pairs these tools with policy advice, technical assistance workshops, and advocacy at global forums to support national statistical offices in developing countries. Its work is funded through grants and donations, with all tools provided free of charge.
Product overview
Open Data Watch operates as a non-profit organization offering a portfolio of monitoring and assessment products rather than a unified software platform. The core offerings include the Open Data Inventory (ODIN) for assessing official statistics openness across nearly 200 countries, the Gender Data Compass for monitoring national gender data systems, and the Open Climate Data Template for evaluating climate data accessibility. These tools are complemented by the Data Value Chain framework and the Gender Data Network collaborative initiative. The organization also provides technical assistance workshops and policy advice services to national statistical offices, focusing on data support rather than commercial software products.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- ODIN: Open Data Inventory - a tool to measure the availability and accessibility of official statistics in over 190 countries around the world
- Gender Data Compass
- Open Climate Data Template
Products and services
- Open Data Inventory (ODIN) A biennial assessment tool that measures the coverage and openness of official statistics in over 190 countries, evaluating 22 categories of data across 10 elements of coverage and openness. It is used by national statistical offices, UN agencies, and development partners to identify gaps and prioritize improvements.
- Gender Data Compass A monitoring tool that provides a view of national gender data systems and their enabling environment, covering 53 key gender indicators in over 180 countries. It is intended for national statistical offices and gender data advocates.
- Open Climate Data Template (OCDT) A diagnostic tool that enables countries to understand what climate change datasets are publicly available through their websites and how accessible they are, providing a user perspective for diagnosing improvement areas and supporting National Strategies for the Development of Statistics.
- Data Value Chain Framework A conceptual framework outlining the processes data undergoes from collection to publication to uptake to impact, used to understand how to increase the value and use of development data. It is applied by national statistical offices and partners to diagnose data system performance.
Quantifiable outcome
- Countries using ODIN assessments have improved their open data practices based on the biennial feedback process
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Open Data Watch
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Open Data Watch technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Open Data Watch partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.
- Data2XcorePartnership with Data2X involves integration of their gender data work into ODW's broader data systems efforts. Collaboration includes analysis of gender data financing gaps, development of gender data solutions, and joint advocacy for gender data as essential to sustainable development.
- PARIS21corePartnership with PARIS21 includes joint work on the Gender Data Network and analysis of official development assistance flows for data at the donor and country level. Collaboration supports financing expertise for the Clearinghouse for Financing Development Data.
- United Nations Statistics DivisioncoreODW works closely with UN Statistics Division to shape processes that guide national statistical offices. They have successfully integrated open data principles into official standard-setting processes and secured open data as a permanent agenda item at the UN Statistical Commission.
- Gender Data NetworkcoreJoint initiative between PARIS21, Data2X, UN Economic Commission for Africa, and UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. Brings together gender data experts from national statistical systems in over 50 countries to share innovative solutions to overcome common barriers for producing and using high quality gender data.
- AidDatasecondaryJoint project examining how official statistics are being used from the perspective of national statistical office officials and government ministry officials. Includes research on barriers faced by NSOs in responding to increased demands for statistics.
- Inter-American Development BanksecondaryPartnership to host a series of workshops in five countries in Latin America and the Caribbean to promote national technical capacity to open and use data.
- United Nations Economic Commission for AfricacorePartner in the Gender Data Network initiative, contributing to collaboration on gender data across African nations and supporting regional expertise sharing.
- United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the PacificcorePartner in the Gender Data Network initiative, contributing to collaboration on gender data across Asia-Pacific nations and supporting regional expertise sharing.
- SDSN TReNDSsecondaryCollaboration on research and advocacy for data for sustainable development. ODW participates in expert discussions on governing the data revolution and the power of data to achieve progress on SDGs.
- Global Partnership for Sustainable Development DatasecondaryCollaboration on strengthening the way data is used to address sustainable development efforts, participating in joint initiatives and advocacy for better data systems.
- Clearinghouse for Financing Development DatasecondaryODW applies financing expertise in support of this initiative, including its gender data channel, working to analyze and improve financing flows for development data.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Open Data Watch competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- UN Statistics Division (UNSD): UNSD is the broad incumbent official statistics body within the UN system that ODW collaborates with; while ODW is an NGO, UNSD is the institutional standard-setter they influence and whose frameworks ODIN assessments align with.
- World Bank Development Data Group: The World Bank's Development Data Group publishes global development indicators and statistical capacity assessments that overlap with ODW's open data and gender data work, representing a much larger institutional incumbent in the same space.
- OECD Statistics and Data Directorate: The OECD Statistics and Data Directorate is a broad incumbent producing open government data indicators and statistical standards for member and partner countries, operating a parallel international statistical capacity benchmarking program to ODIN.
Emerging players
- AidData: AidData at William & Mary is an emerging player in development data and aid statistics research, partnering with ODW on studies of how official statistics are used by national statistical offices and government ministries.
- International Household Survey Network (IHSN): IHSN is an emerging player focused on improving survey data quality and documentation in developing countries, with overlapping interests in national statistical office capacity and open access to official statistics.
- Development Gateway: Development Gateway is an emerging player creating digital tools for data use in international development, overlapping with ODW on open data infrastructure and aid data transparency work.
Direct peers
- PARIS21: PARIS21 (Partnership in Statistics for Development in the 21st Century) is a direct peer working on statistical capacity building in developing countries, co-sponsoring the Gender Data Network with ODW and operating overlapping programs around open data financing and national statistical office support.
- SDSN TReNDS: Thematic Research Network on Data and Statistics (TReNDS) of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network is a direct peer producing research and advocacy on data for sustainable development, collaborating with ODW on shared policy and research outputs.
- Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data (GPSDD): GPSDD is a direct peer multi-stakeholder network advocating for better data to achieve the SDGs, with overlapping partnerships, events, and policy advocacy work targeting national statistical offices and donors, similar to ODW's mission and constituency.
- Data2X: Data2X was a direct peer organization focused exclusively on gender data; in 2026 it integrated its work into Open Data Watch, making it the closest historical peer now operating inside ODW.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Open Data Watch social profiles
Digital presenceOpen Data Watch financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Open Data Watch leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Open Data Watch funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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Open Data Watch M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Open Data Watch
What does Open Data Watch do?
Open Data Watch is a non-profit that produces open data monitoring and assessment tools (ODIN, Gender Data Compass, Open Climate Data Template) that measure the coverage and openness of official statistics in approximately 197 countries. The organization pairs these tools with policy advice, technical assistance workshops, and advocacy at global forums to support national statistical offices in developing countries. Its work is funded through grants and donations, with all tools provided free of charge.
Is Open Data Watch a public or private company?
Open Data Watch is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Open Data Watch founded?
Open Data Watch was founded in 2014. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Open Data Watch based?
Open Data Watch is headquartered in Washington, United States, in the North America region.
How does Open Data Watch make money?
One revenue line is on record: grant Funding and Donations.
Who are Open Data Watch's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are UN Statistics Division (UNSD), World Bank Development Data Group and OECD Statistics and Data Directorate. Emerging players are AidData, International Household Survey Network (IHSN) and Development Gateway. Direct peers are PARIS21, SDSN TReNDS, Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data (GPSDD) and Data2X.
Does Open Data Watch have an API?
No public API is recorded for Open Data Watch.
What industry is Open Data Watch in?
Open Data Watch's product category is Development Data Monitoring and Assessment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDADAIAN, Public Transparency Portals & Open Data Reporting, with a secondary code of BPADALAN, Environmental Data, Monitoring, Remote Sensing & Early Warning. Its NAICS code is 8133 and its SIC code is 7370.