The Culture Data Commons improves how cultural data is collected, governed, shared, and used, so the sector can advocate, set policy, and learn from evidence it holds in common. It brings together datasets from cultural organizations, government, and researchers, along with the tools and shared practices needed to move from isolated data collection toward shared stewardship.
The Commons
The Problem
Cultural data sits scattered across agencies, funders, researchers, and organizations, often hard to access, connect, and reuse. The sector struggles to see itself as a whole, and researchers keep answering the same questions from scratch.
The Approach
The Commons works in three moves: pooling data that is currently held apart, maintaining it as a common resource, and making it usable by anyone in the sector.
Share
Bring data from cultural organizations, government, and researchers into one place, where it can be combined to support evaluation, program development, and policy analysis.
Steward
Maintain the data as a common resource under rules the sector can see and shape, covering governance, privacy, licensing, and documentation.
Reuse
Put the data to work: connect datasets, identify gaps, and produce analysis the sector can use in research, advocacy, and policymaking.
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