About us
Code for Germany is a project of the non-profit organization Open Knowledge Foundation Germany. The name of our local organizational units is derived from it: Open Knowledge labs, in short OK labs. Throughout Germany, people with a digital affinity meet in local OK labs. Together we work on analogue and digital solutions for more democratic participation and open knowledge on the basis of open data and free and open-source software.
The labs are experimental spaces for the digital urban society. Experts from development, design, politics, administration, the humanities and many others develop open-source software prototypes that public authorities can implement in their daily work. With these practical applications we show how our society benefits from open government processes every day and demonstrate how sustainable digital change can be shaped.
Since its foundation in 2014, it has grown to 0 labs and comprises a community of over 500 volunteers. We work with local authorities and support them in providing up-to-date, efficient and transparent services. We are also part of Code for All, which enables us to connect with like-minded people internationally.
Contact
If you want to get in touch with the team from Code for Germany, you can reach us at [info@codefor.de]. If you want to engage with our community and become part of one of our labs yourself, you can join us at one of our local meetings. Information about date and time is published under the respective groups at Gettogether.
For us, sustainable digital change means implementing open government under the following guidelines:
Open Data: Publish administrative data in a machine-readable and standardised form.
Civic Tech: Aligning technology with human needs.
Public Money, Public Good: Invest taxpayers’ money in free and open-source software.
Digital volunteerism: Involve and promote civil society.
Ecological sustainability: Protect natural resources.