University of Dundee DataGM Hemment, Drew; Smith, Kevin ; Tait, Julian; Dornan, Anna Published in: Proceedings Participatory Innovation Conference Publication date: 2013 Document Version Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Link to publication in Discovery Research Portal Citation for published version (APA): Hemment, D., Smith, K., Tait, J., & Dornan, A. (2013). DataGM: Curating an Environment for Change. In H. Melkas, & J. Buur (Eds.), Proceedings Participatory Innovation Conference (pp. 194-198). 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Oct. 2021 DATAGM: CURATING AN ENVIRONMENT FOR CHANGE DREW HEMMENT JULIAN TAIT LANCASTER UNIVERSITY FUTUREEVERYTHING [email protected] [email protected] KEVIN SMITH ANNA DORNAN FUTUREEVERYTHING FUTUREEVERYTHING [email protected] [email protected] ABSTRACT organisations, institutions, devices, and agents. Each Open Data Cities is an ongoing investigation into of these have their own “resistances”, and social how a city may move towards adopting, in specific change, as evidenced by DataGM, is very much terms, an open data framework, and, in general about a struggle of reorganising the resources and terms, openness. It is an experiment in participatory relations in the ‘actor–network’. This paper presents policy and infrastructure, and in curating an an analysis of the practical application of this theory environment for change. Distinctively, our focus is to our problem domain and, reflecting on our on the entire ecosystem at once, and developing an experience, makes recommendations for ecology around open data to create sustainable participatory policy and infrastructure intervention at impact. One dimension of this infrastructure is a city scale. DataGM which, as an output of the Open Data Cities research, and an artefact or ‘Open Digital Resource’, INTRODUCTION The Open Data movement has freed up information held is the focus of this paper. by public agencies, creating opportunities for innovation in public and social services. Making data available in DataGM used a process of participatory policy accessible formats to communities of developers, hackers and action learning in the Greater Manchester city and digital entrepreneurs makes it possible to develop new applications and services based on this data and create region. We engaged policy makers from 10 local both social and economic value (Open Data Institute, 2013). Open Data Cities — a FutureEverything authorities, data managers from agencies including Innovation Lab project since 2009 — builds upon this Transport for Greater Manchester, digital foundation and has led to the creation of new digital infrastructure, in the shape of DataGM: the Greater businesses, and supported a grass-roots developer Manchester Datastore. This provides a framework and a resource for people to analyse, improve and build new community. Our development approach drew services. The formation of DataGM created a unique significantly on Actor-Network Theory (ANT). opportunity for action research into participatory policy and infrastructure at city scale. According to ANT, the on–going processes of DataGM emerged following the intervention of “translation” are key sources of social order. FutureEverything, an actor external to local government, and through a focus on communities of “Translation” generates ordering effects, such as practice. Our approach was to consider the nascent Open Data community as a whole and develop ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Participatory Innovation Conference 2013 ● Lahti, Finland ● www.pin-c2013.org TRACK II: Design Anthropology and Social Innovation participatory strategies to coordinate the various actors. “punctualised” network can be represented as if it were This gave us cause to draw upon Actor-Network Theory owned by the actor who manages the translation (Toumi, (ANT). ANT is a methodological framework with which 2007). to conceptualise social phenomena, such as this, in terms of networks (Latour and Woolgar, 1986; Bijker and Law, DATA AND METHODS 1992; Callon, et al., 1986; Latour, 1999). ANT posits that an entity cannot be understood in isolation; instead, it is FUTUREEVERYTHING always linked to a heterogeneous network of resources To provide context for this study, it is useful to introduce and agents that define that entity as the specific entity in FutureEverything and the overriding methodological question (Nardi, et al., 2000). Questions of subjectivities, frame within which DataGM was developed: agencies, actors, and structures have been of perennial interest in Design Anthropology and Social Innovation FutureEverything is a research programme conceived and (Schuler, et al., 1993), and therefore, ANT has become developed to investigate and participate in the emergence increasingly important in recent times due to the infinite of a digital world. Informed by various art and design interconnectedness of contemporary culture and the methodologies, the sociology of science, and by extension of the network through the instrumentation of understanding of the unstable, liquid, shifting character of our environment with non-human actants (Berry, 2008; the digital space, the research actively seeks to construct Dunne and Raby, 2001). and study the 'actor-world' (Callon, et al., 1986) of the digital domain. FutureEverything presents digital culture In the following sections of this paper we introduce key at its limit, and makes apparent the ways it is brought into concepts of ANT. FutureEverything, Open Data Cities being, the local processes of ordering, and the necessary and the DataGM case study are then introduced. We negotiations and struggles that occur at that limit. It does describe the resistances encountered and strategies this by placing a wide range of agents (human, software, deployed to overcome them. Finally, drawing on the and other) into varying constellations, and by literature, we reflect upon the practical steps required orchestrating and observing the circulation of ideas, when implementing participatory policy and infrastructure technologies, actions, and the surface effects that result. at city scale, and the issues that arise at the end of this The approach in DataGM was to curate an environment process: dilemmas, challenges, opportunities envisioned for change. Here 'curation' is understood to combine from this experience, and how it can cross- fertilise other purposeful advocacy with participatory co-creation. We projects of the same type, in other contexts. were active participants, not disinterested observers. The project emerged from and was informed by a community LITERATURE AND THEORY of practice around open source culture and digital arts. ANT originated in studies of scientific practices. According to ANT, society consists of networks of both OPEN DATA CITIES AND DATAGM human and non–human actors (Latour and Woolgar, Developed in May 2009, the Open Data Cities project 1986; Bijker and Law, 1992; Callon, et al., 1986; Latour, sought to encourage the public bodies of the Greater 1999). A key concept in ANT is “translation.” The total Manchester Region to open up their publicly held datasets system of actors in the full social network is extremely for the benefit of citizens, businesses and public bodies complicated. Reduction of this complexity is therefore a alike. The project looked at similar schemes that were necessary requirement for practical action. Translation taking place in North America, most notably Vancouver means a process where complicated sub–networks and Washington DC. The project was initially focused on become represented by actants, and by which the complex the social and business innovation case for the release of underlying structure becomes a “black box” for practical data whilst being aware of the wider context of re- purposes. Translation means that complex sub–networks enfranchisement, transparency and efficiency. become “punctualised,” and start acting like a unified At this time, there was an explosion of interest behind the entity, from the point of view of those actors who interact impact of Open Data and the move to a more transparent with the sub–network. (Bijker and Law, 1992). Michel and open society. Locally, there was the emergence of the Callon (1986) has defined 4 moments of translation: (i) Greater Manchester City Region, as a new administrative Problematisation; (ii) Interessement; (iii) Enrollment and; entity. The FutureEverything team proposed that the (iv) Mobilisation of allies. associated structural