Joined-up Data Alliance: New coalition formed to put users at the heart of data standards

A new coalition of open data standards setters, users and advocates bodies has been launched to put the needs of data users at the heart of data standards choices. The Joined-up Data Alliance (JDA) brings together open publishing standards in fields such as development cooperation, humanitarian relief, public contracting and natural resource governance to collaborate on the development and usage of data standards.

The alliance recognises that, in an increasingly interconnected world, there is a need to consolidate and broaden the interactions of different data standards to ensure that the data they produce are properly joined up to maximise their accessibility and effectiveness. The Joined-up Data Alliance will collaborate on common approaches in order to:

• Foster user-centred design in creation and dissemination of their standards
• Seek common, open solutions to common problems
• Share common open methodologies and coding systems
• Cooperate on pilots, formally or informally
• Adopt a common strategy in calling for joined up global open standards including in fields such as geospatial data, functional sectors and organisational, corporate and demographic identifiers
• Share knowledge and learning and peer assist each other

Initial members of the alliance are: Development Gateway; Development Initiatives; Global Initiative for Fiscal Transparency; Humanitarian Exchange Language; International Aid Transparency Initiative; Natural Resource Governance Institute; Open Contracting Partnership; OpenCorporates; Open Data Services Cooperative; Open Knowledge; Open North; Publish What You Fund; and the Web Foundation. Development Initiatives, with funding from Omidyar Network, will provide light-touch administrative and coordination duties.

The alliance is open to all organisations engaged in the development, maintenance or use of open data standards who agree to the statement of collaboration and who agree on good working practices, such as sharing problems when we confront them, being transparent about our resources to solve them, and making sure that our standards invite contributions from others when we meet or consider an upgrade.

For any queries please contact the Development Initiatives Joined-up Data team at jda@devinit.org