Discover the women and men who are advancing the use of data, inspiring their peers, and transforming organizations as we move towards a data-driven future.
Back to listingSamuel's experience and expertise
Samuel Goëta is a sociologist, researcher, and Associate Professor at Sciences Po Aix, as well as a renowned specialist in open data policies, data transparency, and data literacy. His research focuses on the social and political dynamics of data opening, specifically analyzing the power structures, frictions, and the often invisible labor that accompany open data initiatives.
As an expert and open data advocate, he is the co-founder of Datactivist, a cooperative and participative agency (SCOP) that supports public and private organizations in their data opening and reuse projects, with the ambition of making data truly useful and used. He is also a founding member of Open Knowledge France, established in 2012, where he actively contributes to awareness and training initiatives, notably the School of Data France, and the Madata.fr platform, which facilitates citizen access to administrative documents.
Author of the book Les données de la démocratie: Open data, pouvoirs et contre-pouvoirs (2024), Samuel Goëta works to make data a lever for transparency, citizen empowerment, and the strengthening of democracy, bridging the gap between academic research, community engagement, and operational support.
A word from Samuel
"For a long time, we settled for 'pre-packaged' quantitative information to drive public debate, without any way to challenge it. By having access to data at its highest level of granularity — the very foundation of information and knowledge — we can re-run the calculations, contest decisions, and offer new interpretations."
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