Data Ecosystem Mapping to Support the FAIR Data Principles

Creating a map of a data ecosystem can help us to understand and explain where and how the use of data creates value. A data ecosystem map can help to identify the key data stewards and users, the relationships between them and the different roles they play. Representing ecosystems in detailed maps can be particularly useful when contexts are complex, not well understood or not yet fully developed. A data ecosystem map can be used to describe how data is being shared across The Data Spectrum. A map can show how open data is being used to deliver a service, or how data is being shared in more limited ways, e.g. to enable access to personal data to support research, or internally within an organisation. There are benefits to be gained not only from creating a map of a data ecosystem, but also from the process of drawing it. Mapping requires you to consider different actors, relationships and ideas in the system, and can generate useful insights and talking points. As a collaborative process it can build understanding of a data ecosystem across different stakeholders. The end product is useful as a communication tool to support engagement across the data ecosystem.

In this Webinar, Ruthie Musker of CABI and Josh D’Addario of the ODI discuss data ecosystem mapping and its applications in India and Ethiopia on agricultural data policy and practice.

About the Panelists

Ruthie Musker is a Project Officer at CABI, managing the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation-funded project “Enabling Data Access to Support Innovation in Agriculture.” She was previously Strategic Projects Lead at GODAN.

Josh D’Addario is a Consultant at the ODI and the product owner for Data Ecosystem Mapping. He works across various aspects of the organisation, with a focus on international development, R&D, and open banking. Josh has been using Data Ecosystem Mapping across a variety of industries and projects, from agriculture and healthcare, to finance and supply chain. He is currently working with CABI on the Gates Foundation-funded programme on "Enabling Data Access to Support Innovation in Agriculture".