[Translate to English:] Datenatlas

Open data for the common good: Data Atlas for Civil Society is now online

Thanks to the new Data Atlas for Civil Society, open data from non-profit organizations are now findable and useable in one central location – for research, civic engagement and social change.  

Foto Mario Wiedemann
Mario Wiedemann
Senior Project Manager
Foto Petra Klug
Petra Klug
Senior Project Manager
Foto Petra Beckhoff
Petra Beckhoff
Project Assistant

Content

Large amounts of valuable data are being generated in all areas of life today: by businesses, government institutions and individuals. In particular, large platform providers and other companies collect and use data in their various fields of activity.

The focus, however, is rarely on the benefits these data can provide society as a whole. This is where the new Data Atlas for Civil Society comes in. It makes open data from civil society discoverable, freely available and accessible for reuse – free of charge for everyone. It creates real added value for society as a result.

While many public authorities are already required by law to make their data openly available, the data atlas now gives civil society organizations the chance to add to this growing data pool serving the common good.

Open data from civil society

In Germany, there are some 650,000 civil society organizations which are recognized as carrying out charitable activities. They collect data for various purposes: surveys, measurements related to the environment, data on the impact consulting services have, and much more. When these data are shared openly, not only do other organizations benefit, so does society as a whole:

  • We get a more complete, evidence-based picture of society.
  • The work done by civil society organizations becomes more transparent.
  • There are fewer gaps in the data on important social issues.
  • Different organizations do not have to collect the same data twice.
  • Open data can reduce data silos and thus increase efficiency within organizations.

The data atlas as metadata portal

The Data Atlas for Civil Society is the new “meeting point” for open data from civil society. As a metadata portal, it allows users to find datasets from civil society systematically and in one location. The open data are still decentralized, i.e. they remain on the websites and data portals of the individual organizations. The data atlas structures the metadata in such a way that the widely dispersed datasets can be seamlessly searched, accessed and linked.

Support for getting started with open data

Anyone interested in addressing the topic of open data in greater detail on behalf of their organization generally needs more than just suitable infrastructure. That’s why, in addition to being a metadata portal, the data atlas is also a gateway to support services, such as:

  • A data help desk
  • Introductory workshops on open data
  • Intensive courses for data stewards at civil society organizations

Data are not only an economic resource, they are also a public good. There are many ways open data benefit society as a whole: They increase transparency, objectify the discourse and help create an open information culture. Yet data can only offer added value if they are used. This requires easy access without substantial barriers. That is precisely what the Data Atlas for Civil Society does: It provides straightforward access to open data from community groups, foundations and other civil society organizations.

Now you can use the Data Atlas for Civil Society, to make open data from your organization visible and findable – while discovering open data from other organizations that can assist you in your work.

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