Open Data

What Open Data does

Open Data Services Co-operative Limited is a worker-owned cooperative founded in 2015 and headquartered in Manchester, United Kingdom. The company operates as a technical partner and consultancy that helps mission-driven organizations — including governments, multilaterals, charities, researchers, and social innovators — design, build, and maintain open data standards and data initiatives. It typically works under short and long-term contracts to research, develop, and support implementation of open data standards, with notable work spanning the Open Contracting Data Standard, Beneficial Ownership Data Standard, Open Fibre Data Standard, and climate/disaster risk data standards for organizations such as the UN, World Bank, UNDP, Scottish Government, Open Ownership, and 360Giving.

The company's core offering combines a portfolio of open source software tools with documentation and frameworks. Technical assets include the Standards Lab web tool for JSON Schema design, the CoVE data validation library, Flatten Tool for data conversion, codelist-schema, spreadsheet-template-generator, and the Mull policy impact assessment tool developed under CivTech Challenge 11.5 with the Scottish Government. Knowledge products include the Standards Lab Handbook (a methodology drawing on over a decade of experience), the Sustainability Canvas for assessing data initiative sustainability, and Responsible Data Sharing Frameworks. All code is published under open source licenses, and the tools are hosted at docs.opendataservices.coop for community use and adaptation.

Commercially, Open Data Services operates as a sales-led consultancy funded primarily through contracted professional services engagements rather than software licensing or SaaS subscriptions. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. Customers include national and supranational government bodies, international development institutions, and non-profits/NGOs. There is no venture capital backing, parent company, or public market listing; the business is bootstrapped via contracts and structured as a non-hierarchical worker-owned cooperative, with all revenue reinvested into staff, tools, and community contribution.

Name

Open Data

Legal name

Open Data Services Co-operative Limited

Website

https://opendataservices.coop

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Open Data Services is a Manchester-based worker-owned cooperative that provides consulting, open source tools, and standards development services to governments, multilaterals, and charities building open data initiatives.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Open Data Standards Consulting

NAICS

Custom Computer Programming Services (541511), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Data Platforms & Modern Data Stack Services (Lakehouse, DW, MDM) (BPAEAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Data Sharing, Data Exchange & Data Marketplace Platforms (HDAEABAH), Data Observability & Monitoring (HDAEADAI)

Keywords

• Open data standards
• Data consulting services
• Open source tools
• Data governance frameworks
• Standards development methodology

Headquarters

HQ city

Manchester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations

Revenue model

1. Contract Research and Development Services: Primarily funded through short and long-term contracts to research, develop and support implementation of open data standards. Works with policy initiatives, governments, non-profits and companies to equip them to publish and use open data.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Open Data Services is a worker-owned cooperative that provides consultancy, open source tools, and methodology for designing, building, and maintaining open data standards. The company works under short- and long-term contracts with governments, multilaterals, charities, and social innovators to research, develop, and support implementation of open data standards and transparency initiatives. Its offerings combine proprietary frameworks (Standards Lab), policy tooling (Mull), and a portfolio of open source data validation, conversion, and schema development libraries.

Product overview

Open Data Services operates as a worker-owned co-operative providing consulting and tools for mission-driven organisations building data initiatives. The company offers a portfolio of open source tools and frameworks centered around open data standards development. Key products include the Standards Lab Handbook (a practical guide for designing open data standards) and Standards Lab Tool (a web application for schema development), along with Mull (a policy impact assessment tool developed with Scottish Government). Additional offerings include the Sustainability Canvas (for evaluating data initiative sustainability), Responsible Data Sharing Frameworks, and a suite of technical tools including flatten-tool, codelist-schema, cove, and spreadsheet-template-generator for data conversion, validation, and schema management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mull A policy studio tool developed with Scottish Government via CivTech Challenge 11.5 that helps policy teams complete impact assessments more efficiently, combining fast work with careful thinking and bringing together evidence, risks, and trade-offs earlier in the policy process.
• Standards Lab Handbook A practical guide and methodology handbook for designing, building, and maintaining open data standards, organized into sections covering development and maintenance, adoption, and learning approaches.
• Standards Lab Tool A web-based tool for users and creators of open standards, supporting project management with JSON Schema design, data validation, and testing capabilities.
• Open Source Tools and Documentation A suite of open source tools and documentation including codelist-schema, compiletojsonschema, cove, flatten-tool, json-schema-extension, spreadsheet-forms, spreadsheet-template-generator, and standards-lab, supporting JSON Schema work, CSV codelists, and data conversion.
• Sustainability Canvas A conversation guide and workbook for data initiatives working towards long-term impact, covering purpose and strategy, resourcing, adoption, infrastructure, and governance and operations.
• Responsible Data Sharing Frameworks A practical framework resource for building trust and coordination when data is shared across organisations, aimed at mission-driven data initiatives.

Quantifiable outcome

• Standards developed and maintained for major transparency initiatives including Open Contracting Data Standard, Beneficial Ownership Data Standard, Open Fibre Data Standard
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Open Data InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Open Data Services was part of the Open Standards for Data project led by the Open Data Institute in partnership with Innovate UK. This partnership documented the company's approach to open data standards development methodology.
• Innovate UKcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Partner in the Open Standards for Data project which documented approaches to open data standards development. Innovate UK is the UK's innovation agency funding the initiative.
• CivTech | Scottish GovernmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloped Mull tool through CivTech Challenge 11.5 to improve efficiency and effectiveness of impact assessment processes in Scottish Government.
• Open Contracting Data Standard CommunitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnical partner maintaining and supporting the Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS), working with Open Contracting Partnership and ILDA for Latin America support.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Open Data Institute: UK-based non-profit focused on open data innovation, including standards and policy tooling. Founder of the Open Standards for Data project in which Open Data Services was incubated, with overlapping standards-development expertise and similar mission-driven mandate.
• Open Knowledge Foundation: Global non-profit advocating for open data and open knowledge. Operates closely adjacent open-data tooling (CKAN) and works with governments and multilaterals on transparency standards, competing for similar grant- and contract-funded work.
• Open Contracting Partnership: Steward of the Open Contracting Data Standard that Open Data Services maintains. Operates at the same intersection of contracting transparency and open data standards, with shared funders and overlapping implementation programmes.
• Open Ownership: Drives adoption of the Beneficial Ownership Data Standard, which Open Data Services co-developed. Operates in the same corporate-transparency and beneficial-ownership reform space and shares many of the same multilateral and government counterparties.
• Akvo: Provides open-source data tools and consultancy to international development organisations. Comparable in mission, target customer (UN agencies, multilaterals, NGOs), and open-data / standards toolkit orientation.
• Web Foundation: International non-profit working on data-driven transparency, including open data initiatives led by Tim Berners-Lee. Overlaps with Open Data Services on open data advocacy, standards engagement, and policy-driven demand for transparency tooling.
• Tactical Tech: Non-profit working with civil society and governments on data, technology, and transparency. Overlaps with Open Data Services on responsibility frameworks, data-sharing tooling, and engagement with mission-driven organisations on ethical data use.
• The GovLab: Research and policy lab focused on improving governance through data and technology. Comparable in producing frameworks, open datasets, and methodology aimed at mission-driven public-sector modernisation projects.
• Development Gateway: Non-profit that builds data tools and dashboards for international development and governance programmes. Comparable in target customers (USAID, World Bank, foundations) and in delivering open-data standards and visualisations for development transparency.

Broad incumbents

• Data.org: Large, well-funded philanthropic platform dedicated to data for social impact. Operates at the same intersection of mission-driven data initiatives, with greater capital base and broader mandate covering data and AI for development.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/opendatacoop
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/open-data-services-co-operative

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Open Data