Community Engagement Strategies for Open Data Collaborations
From exploring neighborhood maps to generating analysis and building applications, citizens, businesses, nonprofits and technologists can all benefit from open data. However, much of the recent focus on open data has centered on the role of technology and overlooked community members and users themselves.
Harnessing the power of open data necessitates meaningful engagement with diverse external stakeholders like journalists, community-based organizations, and local residents. While many cities may strive to engage diverse communities through open data, in practice, cities often struggle to inclusively and systematically collaborate with external partners.
Recently, Cambridge, MA led an in-depth analysis and released a first-of-its-kind report exploring how cities can better collaborate with open data users to increase the impact of civic innovation. The report, Amplifying Civic Innovation: Community Engagement Strategies for Open Data Collaborations, presents numerous findings on how local municipalities can support inclusive and sustained collaborations with different users of open data.
Reading Development 