POSE: Phase I: Building an Open-Source Civic Data Ecosystem

University Of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh PA

Investigators

Abstract

This project is funded by Pathways to Enable Open-Source Ecosystems (POSE) which seeks to harness the power of open-source development for the creation of new technology solutions to problems of national and societal importance. Transparency, how easy it is to get reliable or truthful information about something, is essential to building trust in the government and holding leaders accountable. Just over 15 years ago, the Comprehensive Knowledge Archive Network (CKAN) open-source data management software was developed, and it now powers open data and transparency initiatives around the world. This includes the Data.gov platform, the U.S. government’s open data catalog, which makes hundreds of thousands of datasets accessible to everyone. This project develops a plan to strengthen CKAN so that the software can continue to provide an effective platform for open data, open government, and open science initiatives. The project’s novelties are reflected in the inclusive strategy the research team uses to engage interested parties in the CKAN ecosystem, and participants in civic data communities of practice. The project’s impacts include advancing CKAN’s values of democracy, transparency, and inclusiveness, as well as sustaining a vital open-source civic data infrastructure. Members of the research team plan to map the current status of the CKAN ecosystem to allow the team members to visualize relationships and processes within the CKAN ecosystem. This ecosystem map will be used as a guide for engaging a diverse group of ecosystem users and contributors in conversations and interactive workshops to uncover issues related to growth and sustainability of the ecosystem. Issues to be explored include maintenance, incentives for contributing to the project, strengthening feedback mechanisms between CKAN users and ecosystem stewards, and improving the climate for CKAN adoption. After initial data are collected from the interviews and workshops, interested parties will participate in the analysis of the preliminary data through activities designed to contribute to a plan for OSE sustainability. The resulting plan will include developing an ecosystem governance model, processes for integrating innovation with the core CKAN product, and ensuring product competitiveness and overall sustainability of the product. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.