[okfn-discuss] Building the (Open) Data Ecosystem

Fri Apr 1 13:45:18 UTC 2011

Hi All,

I've just posted up a new piece (with hand-drawn diagrams!) on the
Foundation's blog about building the Open Data Ecosystem:

<http://blog.okfn.org/2011/03/31/building-the-open-data-ecosystem/>

I've included the first few paragraphs of the piece below. I'd be very
interested in any feedback or thoughts people had!

Regards,

Rufus

## The Present: A One-Way Street

At the current time, the basic model for data processing is a “one way
street”. Sources of data, such as government, publish data out into
the world, where, (if we are lucky) it is processed by intermediaries
such as app creators or analysts, before finally being consumed by end
users1.

It is a one way street because there is no feedback loop, no sharing
of data back to publishers and no sharing between intermediaries.

So what should be different?

## The Future: An Ecosystem

What we should have is an ecosystem. In an ecosystem there are data
cycles: infomediaries — intermediate consumers of data such as
builders of apps and data wranglers — should also be publishers who
share back their cleaned / integrated / packaged data into the
ecosystem in a reusable way — these cleaned and integrated datasets
being, of course, often more valuable than the original source.

In addition, corrected data, or relevant “patches” should find their
way back to data producers so data quality improves at the source.
Finally, end users of data need not be passive consumers but should be
also be able to contribute back — flagging errors, or submitting
corrections themselves.

With the introduction of data cycles we have a real ecosystem not a
one way street and this ecosystem thrives on collaboration,
componentization and open data.

[.... more at <http://blog.okfn.org/2011/03/31/building-the-open-data-ecosystem/>]