Characteristics of an open data user community

There are common characteristics inherent in any community of data users

Our working definition of an open data user community is:

A community of people which supports the use of open data through a common purpose.

We have observed three dimensions that seem to be of critical importance to ensuring that a community runs sustainably and achieves its intended impact: a common purpose; clear enablers of the community structure; and the collaborative method(s) that communities use to work together.

We will unpick each of these characteristics in this next section.