Data sharing for everyone

In the previous blogs I described how good practices from the cultural heritage sector – openly sharing and linking collections data – can support CCIs by addressing the challenges in fostering willingness, ability, and business cases to share data. Developing a mindset of data sharing as default (Blog 1) and an understanding of how data can be an asset (Blog 2) are an important part of the data sharing equation. This third blog will tackle a significant hurdle – the infrastructure needed for data sharing and processing and whether it respects the values of CCIs.

Challenge #3 - I can’t start sharing data until there is infrastructure

The lack of digital infrastructure to share data contributes to many of the reservations and barriers that prevent CCIs from data sharing. Even if the whole sector is on board with data sharing, is willing to invest resources to make it happen, and people understand the potential of data - digital infrastructure is needed.

Ideally there are data standards, services to store data, legal frameworks to facilitate data sharing, and computing power. So while practices for data sharing within a sector are more common (such as the European Data Spaces for Cultural Heritage and Media), there are still few examples of digital infrastructures that would support data sharing and analysis across sectors. 

In the cultural heritage sector we see that it is beneficial to experiment using existing infrastructures and databases. Through small-scale, focussed, and often local experiments regarding the sharing of data, cultural heritage collaborations have developed a better understanding of their data sharing needs, a vision of how they want to make use of data, and have even been able to advocate for infrastructure. Experimenting not only fosters practice and visibility but also positions the cultural heritage sector as an active participant in the discussion of data spaces, open source, and copyright. 

CCIs cannot wait for the perfect infrastructure to be developed, and should explore the current possibilities. Datasharing can be costly, but can provide meaningful input to daily  work and business strategy of CCIs. The lack of digital infrastructure can be partially resolved by CCIs starting to experiment and practice.

Challenge #4 - Big Data is harming society and the planet – to value-driven data collection and sharing

It’s often assumed that having more data will help solve problems faster or better. However, there are significant ethical considerations to limitless growth in working with data, relevant for anyone from the CCIs, including the cultural heritage sector:

• Whose data are you collecting and for what purpose? Are there (unforeseen) repercussions?
• Whose labour is producing, processing, and analysing data? Are they being fairly compensated? (See these articles, ‘AI is a Lot of Work’ and ‘The $2 Per Hour Workers Who Made ChatGPT Safer’)
• What is the environmental impact of storing and processing this data? (See ‘The Staggering Ecological Impacts of Computation and the Cloud’) 

The cultural heritage sector is reckoning with its ethical responsibilities around data collection and sharing. It is not possible or desirable to digitise all heritage collections due to the required resources(financial and environmental). (Meta)data and metadata are not neutral and can repeat or amplify biases. More cultural heritage organisations are also joining the growing Green IT movement, taking action to improve their sustainability. While the sector is not alone in complying with privacy regulations and ethical checks, it is working on a mission-driven approach to working with data. 

It is important to weigh the costs of data sharing against the benefits. Many CHIs are exploring and innovating ways to measure their own impact, collecting both quantitative and qualitative data to tell a story (combining participant numbers, network growth, surveys and testimonials to name a few). Meaningful data-use could take the form of understanding whether a library programme or museum exhibition better served underrepresented audiences, or uncovering accessibility barriers. The ambition is to leverage data to better understand and advocate for the role of culture, heritage and creativity in society.

These blogs explored four challenges for data sharing between the CCIs and highlighted good practices in the cultural heritage sector. There aren’t one-size-fits-all solutions, but rather mindsets to think differently about data: why to collect it, who to share it with, and how to make decisions using it. Whether it is a CHI or another CCI setting up workflows to collect data – be ambitious, creative and people-centred in imagining what data could do for you.