Ideas worth spreading

Let's build better digital tools for our cities!

Julia Kloiber |

TED@BCG Berlin

• October 2014

When it came to getting public consensus on a complex plan to convert the epic Tempelhof Airport into something new, Berlin sought an effective way to communicate the nuances of the various proposals. The solution? A computer coder synthesized the information from all the options into a simple infographic, leading to an informed vote by the public. Julia Kloiber argues for the release of government data so coders can unscramble it for the public good -- in Berlin and beyond.

When it came to getting public consensus on a complex plan to convert the epic Tempelhof Airport into something new, Berlin sought an effective way to communicate the nuances of the various proposals. The solution? A computer coder synthesized the information from all the options into a simple infographic, leading to an informed vote by the public. Julia Kloiber argues for the release of government data so coders can unscramble it for the public good -- in Berlin and beyond.

About the speaker

Julia Kloiber

Julia Kloiber

Open-source advocate

Julia Kloiber is Project Lead at the Open Knowledge Foundation Germany. She has a background in design and media theory and works on civic tech and open data projects. Her latest projects include a civic tech incubator Stadt Land Code and the community program Code for Germany.

About TED Institute

Every year, TED works with a group of select companies and foundations to identify internal ideators, inventors, connectors, and creators. Drawing on the same rigorous regimen that has prepared speakers for the TED main stage, TED Institute works closely with each partner, overseeing curation and providing intensive one-on-one talk development to sharpen and fine tune ideas. The culmination is an event produced, recorded, and hosted by TED, generating a growing library of valuable TED Talks that can spur innovation and transform organizations.

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