OpenData
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersBasel, Switzerland
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
OpenData firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- OpenData
- Legal name
- Opendata.ch
- Website
- https://opendata.ch
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
OpenData industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Open Data Advocacy and Community Programs
- NAICS
- Business Associations (813910), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (519)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Developer & Open-Source Communities (MPACAJAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Public Transparency Portals & Open Data Reporting (EDADAIAN), OER Repositories, Discovery & Metadata Services (EDAGAJAL)
Keywords
Where OpenData is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Basel
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
OpenData business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Membership Fees: Annual membership program offering community participation and organizational benefits. Members receive updates, participate in governance, and support open data mission.
- Donations: Direct donation program allowing individuals and organizations to support open data advocacy and programs. One-time and recurring donation options available.
- Event Sponsorships: Corporate and foundation sponsorships for hackathons and events. Partners include foundations (Corymbo Stiftung, Joh. Jacob Rieter-Stiftung) and institutional hosts.
- Project Grants: Funding from foundations and government bodies for specific projects. Mercator Foundation Switzerland supported OpenParlData development. Prototype Fund supports innovative open source projects.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Annual | Free community participation |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
OpenData product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Opendata.ch is a Swiss non-profit association that runs an ecosystem of open data programs, including the OpenParlData API and Search Service (harmonizing data from 74 Swiss parliaments), the OpenGLAM Working Group for cultural institutions, Prototype Fund for public-good open source projects, Energy Data Innovation Hub, Data Café awareness campaign, advocacy for open data policy, and recurring hackathons such as GLAMhack and Energy Data Hackdays. All offerings are organized around data literacy, civic engagement, and digital transformation for institutions and community members in Switzerland.
Product overview
OpenData (Opendata.ch) is a Swiss non-profit association that serves as an ecosystem of interconnected programs and initiatives rather than a single product. The core offerings include the Open Parl Data API – a technical data infrastructure that aggregates and harmonizes parliamentary data from Swiss parliaments – complemented by the Open Parl Data Search Service (a web-based GUI). Beyond these data products, the association operates thematic programs including the OpenGLAM Working Group (cultural data advocacy), Energy Data Innovation Hub (energy sector innovation), and hackathon event series (GLAMhack for cultural data, Energy Data Hackdays for energy topics). These programs support data literacy, civic engagement, and open data adoption across Switzerland through events, advocacy, and community building.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Energy Data Innovation Hub (EDIH): Association dedicated to promoting open and sustainable innovation in the energy sector through digital transformation and data usage
- GLAMhack
- OpenParlData.ch
Products and services
- OpenParlData API An open API that aggregates, cleans, and harmonizes parliamentary data from 74 national, cantonal, and municipal parliaments across 46 cities, 26 cantons, and 2 countries (Switzerland and Liechtenstein). Serves journalists, political scientists, developers, and civil society actors building tools, visualizations, and analyses from political affairs, proceedings, actors, decrees, and consultations.
- OpenParlData Search Service A minimal graphical user interface (GUI) that previews and searches the open parliamentary data published through the OpenParlData API, intended for journalists, researchers, developers, and the general public exploring Swiss parliamentary information.
- GLAMhack (Swiss Open Cultural Data Hackathon) Annual free Swiss hackathon focused on cultural data, exploring digitization, description, immersive experiences, and translation of digital knowledge into physical forms for galleries, libraries, archives, and museums (GLAM). Targets developers, digital humanists, artists, Wikipedians, and cultural institution staff collaborating on open cultural data projects.
- Energy Data Hackdays Hackathon series focused on energy data, bringing together engineers, designers, and ideators to develop solutions for energy production, consumption, and distribution transparency and sustainability. Targets energy sector stakeholders, public administrations, and institutions working on the energy transition.
Quantifiable outcome
- 13 projects developed per Energy Data Hackdays event
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use OpenData
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
OpenData technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
OpenData partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.
- Open Knowledge Foundation (OKFN)coreOpendata.ch is part of the Open Knowledge Network, the global network of Open Knowledge Foundation chapters and groups. This provides international reach, shared resources, and alignment with global open data movements.
- Stiftung für Kunst, Kultur und Geschichte (SKKG)coreHost institution for GLAMhack 2026 in Winterthur. Will release over 60,000 cultural objects under open license through SKKG Sammlung Digital, following Linked Art data model.
- Wikimedia CHcoreSwiss chapter of global Wikimedia movement. Supports cultural institutions in sharing collections on Wikipedia and Wikidata. Active partner in OpenGLAM Working Group and GLAMhack events.
- ETH LibrarycoreMember of Friends of OpenGLAM Network. Has actively supported Swiss Open Cultural Data Hackathon since 2015. Promotes digital access to content and metadata as open data.
- Swiss National LibrarycoreMember of Friends of OpenGLAM Network. Hosted first Swiss Open Cultural Data Hackathon in 2015. Operates with Open Data Policy and cooperates with open data community.
- Swiss National Museum (SNM)coreMember of Friends of OpenGLAM Network. Hosted 2018 hackathon (first museum-based hackathon). Digital access to collections as open data is key policy goal.
- Swiss Social ArchivessecondaryMember of Friends of OpenGLAM Network. Supports OpenGLAM movement with technical know-how, financially and as project partner.
- infoclio.chsecondaryMember of Friends of OpenGLAM Network. Professional portal for historical sciences in Switzerland. Among first-hour supporters of Swiss Open Cultural Data Hackathon.
- FHGR Chur (Swiss Institute for Information Science)coreHosted GLAMhack 2020 (online edition) in collaboration with Institute for Multimedia Production. Focus areas included Linked Open Data, Machine Learning, Human-Computer-Interaction, and Crowdsourcing.
- https://hack.opendata.ch/ch/opensecondarySwiss open government and data association. Oleg Lavrovsky identified as member, connecting Opendata.ch to broader open government community.
- eCH (Swiss Federal Standards)coreOpendata.ch co-initiated the federal standardization of Swiss parliamentary data through eCH Fachgruppe 'Politische Geschäfte'. Christian Gutknecht (Board member) co-leads the working group.
- Energy Data HackdayscoreFounders of Energy Data Hackdays (since 2016) established the Energy Data Innovation Hub (EDIH) association in 2023. EDIH promotes open and sustainable innovation in the energy sector.
- Swiss Internet Governance ForumsecondaryAnnual Swiss internet governance forum where open data topics are discussed. Opendata.ch participates and co-promotes events.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
OpenData competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Europeana Foundation: EU-funded digital platform for European cultural heritage; directly comparable GLAM open data mission but operating at pan-European rather than Swiss national scale.
- Sunlight Foundation: US-based non-profit focused on government transparency and open legislative data; directly comparable mission on parliamentary transparency, but operating in a US context.
Broad incumbents
- Open Government Partnership: Multilateral initiative promoting open government data and transparency reforms; comparable advocacy mission and public sector focus, operating at a supranational policy level.
- Open Source Initiative: Global non-profit advocating for open-source software; adjacent open-knowledge peer with overlapping values around openness, though focused on software licensing rather than data infrastructure.
- Creative Commons: Global non-profit building open licensing infrastructure for cultural, educational, and data works; comparable as a sibling organization in the open knowledge ecosystem with overlapping GLAM and cultural heritage constituencies.
- Open Knowledge Foundation: Global parent network that Opendata.ch is a chapter of; operates open data advocacy, tooling (CKAN), and policy programs internationally — most directly comparable as the broader movement organization of which Opendata.ch is the Swiss affiliate.
Emerging players
- Code for America: US non-profit building civic technology and open data tools with government; comparable community-driven model focused on government data transparency, but operating in a different national context.
- Digital Public Goods Alliance: Multi-stakeholder initiative supporting open-source public-interest digital infrastructure; comparable mission around open data and open-source for the public good, though broader in scope.
Direct peers
- Wikimedia Foundation / Wikimedia CH: Global and Swiss chapter of the open knowledge movement; directly partners with Opendata.ch on OpenGLAM and shares cultural heritage / open data mission, though with a focus on encyclopedic content rather than data infrastructure.
- The Open Data Institute (ODI): UK-based non-profit focused on open data infrastructure, training, and policy advocacy; comparable mission and operating model, serving as the UK counterpart to Opendata.ch's Swiss national role.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
OpenData social profiles
Digital presenceOpenData financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
OpenData leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
OpenData subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
OpenData funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
OpenData 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 OpenData
What does OpenData do?
Opendata.ch is a Swiss non-profit association that runs an ecosystem of open data programs, including the OpenParlData API and Search Service (harmonizing data from 74 Swiss parliaments), the OpenGLAM Working Group for cultural institutions, Prototype Fund for public-good open source projects, Energy Data Innovation Hub, Data Café awareness campaign, advocacy for open data policy, and recurring hackathons such as GLAMhack and Energy Data Hackdays. All offerings are organized around data literacy, civic engagement, and digital transformation for institutions and community members in Switzerland.
Is OpenData a public or private company?
OpenData is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was OpenData founded?
OpenData was founded in 2011. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is OpenData based?
OpenData is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does OpenData make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Membership Fees are the primary driver. The others are donations, event Sponsorships and project Grants.
Who are OpenData's main competitors?
Regional players on record are Europeana Foundation and Sunlight Foundation. Broad incumbents are Open Government Partnership, Open Source Initiative, Creative Commons and Open Knowledge Foundation. Emerging players are Code for America and Digital Public Goods Alliance. Direct peers are Wikimedia Foundation / Wikimedia CH and The Open Data Institute (ODI).
Does OpenData have an API?
Yes. Open Parl Data API provides harmonized parliamentary data from 46 cities, 26 cantons, and 2 countries (Switzerland and Liechtenstein). The data infrastructure imports data from 74 national, cantonal and municipal parliaments, partially cleans, harmonizes and publishes them for building tools, data visualizations and analyses. Covers political affairs, parliamentary proceedings, political actors, decrees, and consultations. Beta version available for testing with search functionalities not yet fully implemented. Developer documentation is at api.openparldata.ch/documentation.
What industry is OpenData in?
OpenData's product category is Open Data Advocacy and Community Programs. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPACAJAK, Developer & Open-Source Communities, with a secondary code of EDADAIAN, Public Transparency Portals & Open Data Reporting. Its NAICS code is 813910 and its SIC code is 8600.