Language: English (mozilla)
When a group of people decide to collectively govern the collection and use of a shared data resource, a data commons arises. Data commons exist in all shapes and sizes, ranging from collaborative mapping initiatives to health data pools and from open knowledge libraries to agricultural data coops.
But data commons tend to struggle with various challenges and dilemmas, from maintenance to accountability to conflict resolution; governance is hard!
Fortunately, there are known principles of “institutional design” – most prominently described by Elinor Ostrom in Governing the Commons – that can aid communities in the process of deciding how to share resources. In this session, members of a workgroup hosted by the Ostrom Workshop will introduce a draft of a guide to governing data commons, modelled on Elinor Ostrom’s framework for institutional analysis and development. We will engage participants in analysing this governance framework and together develop “Questions to Ask Frequently” that can support communities in developing governance methods that work.
Over the past year, a group of scholars and practitioners, working with the Ostrom Workshop, came together to translate Ostrom's design principles to the context of data commons. The result is a matrix of guiding questions that can help communities design their data governance models. The goal of this session is to engage others with our work, get their feedback and, together, build on the existing set of questions. It is our hope that through this session we will be able to further refine this body of work and ensure its relevance to those it aims to assist. The results will be made openly available to the general public.
Why did you choose that space? How does your session align with the space description?:In today's world, those with the capital resources to build data systems and artificial intelligence are often the ones who decide what should be built and how, unilaterally defining the rules of engagement with those systems. In contrast, one of the core tenets of Ostrom's design principles is the idea that those affected by a system should be involved with the creation, enforcement, and revision of that system’s rules. This implies a shift in power: from top-down decision-making to bottom-up governance structures.
How will you deal with varying numbers of participants in your session? What if 30 participants attend? What if there are 3?:Our session will start with an introduction into the work we have created, after which we will break out into smaller groups to allow more in-depth discussions. Each break-out group will consist of 4-6 participants. If group size grows, we will simply create more breakout groups and ensure we have enough facilitators to ensure conversations within each group run smoothly.
What happens after MozFest? We're hoping that many efforts and discussions will continue after MozFest. Share any ideas you already have for how to continue the work from your session.:After MozFest we will publish the results of this session online. In addition, we welcome participants to stay involved with the work and help us further refine our guiding questions.
What language would you like to host your session in?:English