Could Open Data Help Arts and Culture Listings?

This report looks at the arts listings ecosystem in Wales and how open data could help the arts and culture sector to reach new audiences and work together better.

Nesta and The Satori Lab set out to explore whether open data was part of everyday practice in the arts and culture sector in Wales. Launching a discovery project, they spoke to arts organisations, venues and practitioners to find out how listings are created and where problems lay. This report outlines the barriers and inefficiencies in how arts events listings are put together, finds examples of where other organisations have tried to address this and makes a series of recommendations to enable change.

  • There is no widely-used data standard for publishing arts and culture listings.
  • Reaching audiences is sometimes a problem for many venues.
  • Open data is not well understood in the arts sector and is not talked about enough.
  • Where data is published against clear standards, there is the potential for new and innovative services to address the problem.

Policy recommendations

  • For the arts and culture sector in Wales: Agree a common standard for listings, maintain it and use it, perhaps by using Schema.org
  • For policymakers: Invest in improving data and digital literacy in the arts and culture sector.
  • Invest in data infrastructure that supports open and effective listings.

Part of
Nesta Cymru

Authors

Rob Ashelford

Rob Ashelford

Rob Ashelford

Pennaeth Nesta Cymru / Head of Nesta Cymru

Rob is Head of Nesta Cymru - responsible for the delivery of Nesta's strategy in Wales.

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Amy Richards

Amy Richards

Amy Richards

Assistant Programme Manager, Y Lab

Amy was an Assistant Programme Manager at Y Lab.

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Ben Proctor

Ben works for The Satori Lab and is a communications and community development professional with a particular interest in digital technology and data. He has worked for local authoriti…