Hi Rachel
I think that a parallel conversation is happening about this on twitter, but I'll try to kick off with a more elaborate answer here in order to (hopefully) start a 140char+ conversation ....
For me (as an organisationally embedded individual rather than the representative voice of an organisation), there would be two motivations:
One would be the basic principle of openness; an understanding that academic institutions, museums and other cultural organisations have kept a lot of stuff locked up both physically and virtually for a long time, that opening the doors to data is part of a larger process of opening the doors of institutions like this. (But also that merely opening your doors often isn't enough, and that you need to tend and grow an audience for it).
But that in itself butters no parsnips. A more important organisational motivation would be an (evidence-based) use case for how the openness of that data would help the organisation meet its core objectives. In our case those would mostly be about audience engagement with the material. Models that work and have been proved to work would make the case for open data projects. Without 'stifling innovation' or establishing boring patterns, examples like 'this project used open data and had this benefit for this organisation' would stimulate something between an understanding of best practice and the copycat instinct.
Which is not so say that there's a paucity of examples, but that maybe I haven't been thinking of what I've seen as directly benefiting from open data.
I hope that that's useful in some way.
Cheers
Danny
-----Original Message-----
From: Museums Computer Group [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Rachel Coldicutt
Sent: 27 November 2013 10:29
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [MCG] Cultural Open Data question
Hi there
I'm doing a talk about Culture Hack at the Open Data Institute on Friday ( https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/friday-lunchtime-lecture-whats-the-point-of-cultural-open-data-tickets-8891088485),
and am doing a bit of informal research. I have some context already, but it would be great to have some more!
My question is: what motivates organisations to open their data? I don't necessarily mean "build a fancy API", but just create clean, accessible data feeds that can be used by third parties. Or - to put it another way - why *don't* more organisations?
All responses gratefully received.
Thank you!
Rachel
--
Rachel Coldicutt
Caper
07740 864 517
wearecaper.com | @wearecaper
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