Play four: Assess the existing data infrastructure

As part of their efforts in collecting, using and sharing data to tackle specific problems, data access initiatives need to build or maintain strong data infrastructure

To effectively publish open data, you may need to work with other organisations which are creating new data assets, developing or reusing open standards, creating guidance and policies to make better decisions to address sector-specific challenges, or building new technologies to support the management and use of the data. Alternatively you might undertake some of these activities on your own.

In 'Play one: Explore the problem and how data can address it', we went into depth about the type of data infrastructure your initiative might be building, improving and maintaining, including:

• Data assets (such as datasets, identifiers and registers)

• Standards and technologies used to curate and improve access to data assets

• Guidance and policies that inform the use and management of data assets and the data infrastructure

• Organisations that are responsible for stewarding data

• Communities involved in contributing or maintaining data infrastructure, and those who are impacted by decisions that are made using it to tackle a specific problem

In 'Play two: Map the data ecosystem', we provided guidance on how to identify organisations stewarding data and communities involved in, and impacted by, the building of data infrastructure to tackle the problem. In 'Play three: Assess the policy, regulatory and ethical context', we recommended steps to assess policies governing the use and management of data. In this play, we provide guidance on how to assess data assets, standards and skills to improve access to data. If you are interested in what technologies could help your initiative, you should check out our research looking into the common technical infrastructure of shared and open data.

Assessing existing data infrastructure and deciding whether your initiative needs to provide or strengthen tools that might tackle the problem includes thinking about how this data will be managed, collected and shared.

The Data Skills Framework - Open Data Institute

Activities in this play include:

• Making a data inventory
• Adopting or building open standards
• Assessing skills needed to strengthen or build data infrastructure

By the end of this section you should be able to:

• Assess skills and literacies of the initiative

• Evaluate the available data assets and standards to tackle the problem