2021 Annual Report | Open Culture Foundation
We kept going during the hardest times. This year OCF collaborates with 30+ communities and 7 online events...
Did you have a good 2021?
OCF was born in 2014, so we’re turning 8 this year! After two years of the pandemic, we’ve got used to working at home and ordering take out. We have also become more reliant on technology to maintain our connections to others. The seedlings we planted before the pandemic had already started sprouting. Amidst the ongoing public health emergency and the urgent need to speed up our digital transformation, we hope that our open source sprouts can continue to grow stronger and more robust.
OCF is an organization that supports Taiwan’s tech communities and promotes open tech to help create a healthier digital ecosystem for all. By focusing on core infrastructures behind digital systems, we hope to build a safer and more equitable world for all.
This year's theme is “digital forest”. Although there has been growing awareness about digital human rights, OCF believes that it is crucial to focus on “open tech” as the root of internet and social design. We dedicate ourselves in open tech by promoting open source, open data and open government.
Supporting Communities
Despite the challenges brought about by the pandemic, in 2021, OCF continued to support 7 online events and 30 community projects. As fiscal sponsor, we have supported the development of open source and tech communities. With our services, let these groups remain influential even when they couldn’t work together in person.
OCF hopes to continue creating a supportive environment for communities to grow.
In 2021, two new projects began collaborating with OCF. Even with the pandemic, the open source community in Taiwan has continued to grow and expand.
Running a community requires a lot of work, including hiring, writing and signing contracts, dealing with tax forms, and sorting out accounting and fiscal affairs. Most members of the open source community are students or have full time jobs, so these administrative tasks can be a huge burden. That is where OCF comes into help. We have worked with these groups：
Although the pandemic meant that many conferences were held online in 2021, the OSCVPass (Open Source Contributor VIP Pass) still managed to collaborate with 4 conferences and help facilitate contirbutors’ participation. In 2021, a total of 339 people applied, and 261 received the open source contributor benefits provided by SITCON, COSCUP, MOPCON, g0v Summit and PyCON Taiwan.
In collaboration with Hakka Public Communication Foundation and WikimeidaTW, OCF worked to promote community collaboration and openness, and turned open data into a tool for voicing local cultures. By encouraging Hakka communities to use digital tools, we helped translate community culture and local knowledge into digital information,thereby achieving the strengthening of solidarity. We created new channels of dialogue between generations, and charted a road toward broader exchange between communities and cultures.
Our Advocacy
Technology is a double-edged sword. With every new technology developed, our rights could face a new threat. OCF promotes and creates channels of dialogue between government bodies, civil society organizations and tech groups. We hope to be the bridge between these groups. We also hope to connect Taiwan and the reset of the world, so that we can collectively realize the potential of openness and open source to address the challenges we are collectively facing. We also promote Taiwanese civil society’s awareness of digital tools that can be at disposal for preparing to enter an increasingly digitized future.
Current 5g technology has reversed the closed paradigm that has dominated the development of communication technology. Open RAN is promoting openness in internet design, and has broken the previous model of architecture development as determined by behemoth corporatives.
In order to make Taiwanese business and academics more aware of international open source projects in this area, OCF worked with the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) and inivted international partners from the O-RAN alliance to discuss their experience of international collaboration, as well as the current landscape and trends of global telecoms operators in Open Ran and their experience in incorporating open source into 5g.
Current 5g technlogy has reversed the trend towards closedness that exists within communication technology. Open RAN is promoting openess in internnet design, and has broken the previous model of architecture development as determined by a singular coproration.
In order to make Taiwanese busieness and academics more aware of international open source projects in this area, OCF worked with the Industrial Technology Research Institute （ITRI）and inivted international partners from the O-RAN open source alliance to discuss their experience of international collaboration as well as discuss the current landscape and trends of global telecoms operators in Open Ran and the experience in incoprporating open source into 5g.
Continuing on from our open government work in 2020, in 2021, OCF continued to host training workshops as part of the “Open Government National Action Plan''. We held an online conference with a total of 48 speakers, over 300 attendees, and an online reach to over 1000 audience. At the event, many speakers discussed the goals and their experiences of open government. In addition, OCF has continued to serve as a civil society representative for the Open Parliament Action Plan in Taiwan, and has participated in drafting the plan.
Although digital technology makes our life more convenient, it has also brought with it worries of personal information leaks, privacy infringement, public opinion manipulation, and disinformation. Especially since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the implementation of preventive measures, it has become easier for authorities to get hold of personal data. It is thus more crucial than ever to pay attention to protecting our digital human rights.
Civic Sense encourages communities to use open source devices for environmental monitoring. Through collaboration overseas, we share awareness and know-how to use self-made, low-cost environmental sensors to civic tech groups.
In 2021, OCF hosted 3 webinars, over 10 international communities joined in. These communities are based in Thailand, India and Nigeria ...etc. They will involve installing either air boxes or water boxes in partnership with international communities, share knowledge, open data to each others.
Promoting Open Culture
Our world is increasingly infused with digital technology. Whether it be code, information and data, materials inscribed with our history and culture can all be shared and brought together through digital technology.
If “open and transparent” can be turned into a habit, collaboration and sharing can then become the basis for activism amongst civil society. If that truly happens, we would be able to break down the divides between different groups of people and help spread knowledge more easily and effectively.
In 2021, OCF was not pushed back by the pandemic. We continued to find ways to reach broader audiences through news articles, lecture series and educational courses in order to make more people aware that open culture and cultural openness can truly have a positive impact on society.
The impact of free and open source technology is large and it continues to remain deeply integral to our daily lives. OCF is continuing to support the promotion of open source and open culture in a range of fields. This includes our project “Open Source Newbies” which introduces those unfamiliar with open source to the community; The Openists, a space for all times of technical knowledge sharing, our 5G Open RAN project and many others. In total, we hosted over 20 events with a total of over 800 participants, allowing people to engage with open source through many different channels.
The impact of free and open source technology is large and it continues to remain deeply intergral to our daily lives. OCF is continuing to support the promotiong of open souece and open culture in a range of fields. This includes our project “Open Source Newbies” which introduces those unfamiliar with open source to the community; The Openists, a space for all times of technical knowledge sharing, our 5G Open RAN project and many others. In total, we hosted over 20 events with a total of over 800 participants, allowing people to engage with open source through mant different channels.
Along with our volunteers, OCF has made a board game entitled “OpenStarTerVillage” which hopes to raise awareness about how to participate in open source projects in a fun way. The game also introduces famous open source, open government and open data projects from Taiwan and abroad in both English and Mandarin. We hope we can help promote these projects, and also encourage people from a more diverse range of backgrounds to become a part of the open source community.
In 2021 we hosted test-runs of the game at the following events.
OCF Lab is a news platform operated by OCF which aims to collect, translate and report on a range of civic tech and open source topics. We hope to raise awareness of these issues for the public as we move into the digital age, and provide a platform for learning and knowledge sharing.
In 2021, we published 34 weekly reports, 55 articles in Mandarin and English, and 25 special issues in collaboration with media organizations.
2021 OCF Projects Annual Total Income & Expenditure
Income NT$ 19,145,153
Expenditure NT$ 16,148,451
Surplus NT$ 2,996,702
2021 Communities' Projects Annual Total Income & Expenditure
Income NT$ 21,051,847
Expenditure NT$ 12,711,705
Surplus NT$ 8,340,142
Board Members：Pofeng, honki, Bob Chao, clkao, kc chen.
Consultants：isabel, Lucien, miaoski.
OCF Staff：Singing, Rock, Lulu, Rosa, Xini, Claire, kting, TC, huangfu, Leaf, Anima, Sam, weichen, 紅馬, Dreamer.
2021 OCF Graduates：Yawei, Aiya, 小知.
Interns：柏均、嘉禕、彥涵、明真、威宏、濰綾.
And passionated volunteers!
Sponsor
We appreciate RC Foundation and Archlife Research Foundation’s support in all our projects and events, and our individual donors.
Open Culture Foundation strengthens and connects open source movements around the world. In Taiwan, we promote open government, open source, and support local tech communities whilst also building international bridges. We need everyone’s support to help foster open culture as it continues to take root. We look forward to working together to prepare for our rapidly changing world, and improve our lives and avoid the potential dangers of technology. We believe that open souce and open culture can protect privacy, promote freedom and put an end to monopolies of power and resources. In short, open source ensures that no person is an island.