Assess open standards for data

Data access initiatives can only ever address part of the data infrastructure that’s needed to enable sectors and communities to address common challenges. Using open standards is a way of ensuring the data infrastructure a given data access initiative builds is consistent with, and interoperates with, other parts of the wider data infrastructure, by adopting existing rules, language and concepts around data.

Our Open Standards for Data Guidebook can support your initiative in identifying and adopting open standards for data, or creating new open standards if necessary.

Your initiative should adopt existing open standards if they exist. These open standards can be found through formal (for example, ISO members) and informal networks (for example, conferences, working groups). Your initiative might also consider using this tool to find them. When adopting an open standard for data, you might consider the following:

• Is this standard licensed for anyone to use?

• Is this standard designed to meet the initiative’s needs? Who is the target audience? Which key features are available? And what skills and additional resources are needed to interpret or use the data most effectively?

• Is the standard actively maintained? Are there any communities that might support the implementation process?

Standards for data are not just file formats, taxonomies and schemas. Often initiatives struggle to overcome simple barriers, such as language and ways of working, when they engage in multi-stakeholder collaboration. When adopting and creating standards with your stakeholders, you should explore more than just technical standards.

When adopting non-technical standards, especially with stakeholders from other disciplines, you might consider the following:

• Do the technical words from other disciplines match the definitions in mine?

• Is there an existing code of practice that we can adopt for the initiative?

• Are there standard approaches to collecting, storing and sharing data and information that we can agree upfront?

Open standards for data examples. Image credit: ODI