Community enabler(s)

For open data user communities to run effectively and sustainably, there must be a clear understanding of what enables the community group structure

1. Funded or project-based communities

Some communities are lucky enough to be funded by an organisation or a collection of organisations. These might be community initiatives set up by an organisation or initiatives where community organisers have asked organisations to provide grant or project funding so the community is sustainable in the short term.

Funded communities are likely to have core funding, meaning they can exist to serve a broad mission and vision without necessarily needing clearly defined deliverables. They may also exist indefinitely, rather than having a specific lifecycle. Data.world runs its own open data community as part of its core business model, which helps members to connect around data and work together to solve problems. Project-funded communities are more likely to have a set of predefined outcomes and outputs and will have a set timeline for the existence of the community group. For example, Community Data Cooperative is a community-owned, research based initiative, where community members use data about themselves to deliver research that is commissioned by businesses and local governments.

2. Membership communities

Membership communities are groups which require users to sign up to get full benefit from the community. These community groups have a clear individual or group that manages the community and facilitates access to the group for new members.

The type of membership model a community uses can vary; some will be free for anyone to join, such as the Data Lab Community; a member-based community that helps people to connect with each other around data and AI and learn new data skills in these areas. Other communities might require members to pay a membership fee, which allows community organisers to provide their members with more support and resources. For example Dryad, an open data publishing platform for researchers, runs a membership community that allows members to access additional features, training and support on the platform and other perks.

3. Self-organising communities

Self-organising communities are groups that do not have a formal membership structure. These groups can still have an informal membership, where individuals are invited to join via contacts who are in the community, but more often than not, the group will encourage new members to join through public channels, such as social media. The Open Data Community for Hong Kong is an example of a self-organising knowledge-sharing community that uses social media as a platform for collaboration.

Self-organising communities tend to be smaller in scale, often working at a regional or local level and tend to encourage members to meet through specific events or to work informally through generic networking platforms. For example, the Buffalo Open Data Community focuses on bringing people together to discuss how open data and civic technology can bring greater benefits for the city.