New guide to open data from civil society

Open data from civil society organizations offers considerable potential. For example, if data on a specific topic from multiple providers is used instead of from just from one organization, the benefits and social impact both increase. Open data can also have a positive impact within civil society organizations themselves. Data silos can be dismantled and it becomes easier to use data collaboratively in a range of contexts.

Data expertise already exists in civil society. Very little data, however, is being made openly available by civil society. To better leverage this potential, we have released a new publication: “Offene Daten der Zivilgesellschaft: Ein Leitfaden für die Praxis” (Open Data from Civil Society: A Practical Guide).

The guide is a further development of the open data guide for communities that we published in 2020. The new guide, also written by Bernhard Krabina, examines the conditions and challenges that are specific to civil society stakeholders.

The guide begins by outlining the characteristics and benefits of open data, then goes on to explain the main steps involved in publishing data openly. It includes additional information, for example on data catalogues and data portals, as well as descriptions of the different implementation phases, and an FAQ. The guide is meant to convey briefly and concisely the key aspects of open data and point readers towards other useful sources of information.

As part of the exploratory project Open Data and Civil Society, the team from the Data for Society project is looking at the foundation that must be laid so that more open data can be published and used by civil society for civil society. The guide to open data is a first step in this direction.

We will be publishing a discussion paper shortly on our exploratory project, which will describe open data’s added value in detail and also provide examples. In addition, it will outline the elements needed to create a data ecosystem for civil society that serves the common good, an ecosystem the Bertelsmann Stiftung will continue working on in the coming year together with other interested organizations.

If you would like to learn more about the forthcoming publication, please subscribe to our newsletter.