Strategy/Wikimedia movement/2017/Cycle 2/Reach/Berlin Strategy Salon March 29, 2017/he

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Overview

Attendees

  • Tobias Gerber, World Health Summit
  • Dr. Gregor Hagedorn, Museum für Naturkunde Berlin
  • Christophe Henner, Wikimedia Foundation Board
  • Dr. Paul Klimpel, iRights and Internet & Society Collaboratory
  • Prof. Dr. Claudia Müller-Birn, Freie Universität Berlin, Institute of Informatics
  • Markus Neuschäfer, Open Knowledge Foundation Deutschland
  • Dr. Christina Riesenweber,  Freie Universität Berlin, Center for Digital Systems
  • Sebastian Ruff, Museum of the City of Berlin
  • Katherine Maher, Wikimedia Foundation
  • Juliet Barbara, Wikimedia Foundation
  • María Sefidari, Wikimedia Foundation Board
  • Abraham Taherivand, Wikimedia Deutschland
  • Nataliia Tymkiv, Wikimedia Foundation Board
  • Caitlin Virtue, Wikimedia Foundation
  • Nicola (Nikki) Zeuner, Wikimedia Deutschland

The questions we asked

  1. How do people access high quality information today, and how will they in 2030? How will access patterns in 2030 change the way your organization conducts its mission?
  2. How is your institution thinking about preparing for the future? Is your institution preparing for the future? If not, what would you like to see done?
  3. How can Wikimedia be a better partner in your work?
  4. How do you envision the future of structured data and structured knowledge, especially from the perspective of your organizations and communities?

Key themes

How people will access information

People will increasingly need guided discovery to access relevant information.

  • There is an endless amount of information and content available. People want immediate access to high quality and quantity of content.
  • We need guidance through this surplus of information. Institutions have a role to play in fostering the discovery process.
  • Is more information really better? What kind of information and access should we be promoting?

Artificial intelligence (AI) can help deliver relevant information.

  • Artificial intelligence will continue to surface the most relevant information for internet users.
  • On Wikimedia projects, we’re already seeing progress with bots, AI techniques, and Wikidata.
  • People are making consequential decisions without information. AI can help them access the most relevant information.

Structured data is a path for longevity.

  • Structured data is “how to survive” for museums and cultural institutions. It is how we bring millions of works into the digital archive.
  • We can benefit from more ways to automatically move fact-based data into Wikimedia projects.
  • Many NGOs have a need for structured data but haven’t found a way to use it yet.
  • We can better integrate Wikidata with other sources or fields (i.e. research) to enable more fact-based data on Wikimedia projects.

The trends that will impact us

If it’s not digital, it will fade away. If it’s not open, it’s inaccessible.

  • We are at a risk of losing large amounts of information and cultural heritage as we shift further into a digital world.
  • Because of copyright, a large amount of European cultural heritage isn’t digital and freely accessible or reusable online.
  • Copyright legislation, especially in the European Union, presents a significant risk for digital preservation and Wikimedia’s ability to aggregate the sum of all human knowledge.

We face global challenges that impact the human race. What does this mean for Wikimedia?

  • The world faces serious challenges in the areas of poverty, hunger, global health climate change, and more.
  • The global population will grow dramatically about the coming decades. At the same time, global resources are disappearing.
  • By 2030, the United Nations wants to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
  • Wikimedia could have a great impact on these goals by making knowledge accessible to people around the world and encouraging investment in open educational resources (OER) globally.

Ownership and authorship can be barriers to openness.

  • Museums and academia have historically been centered around ideas of ownership (i.e. of a work of art) and authorship (i.e. of a research paper), respectively.
  • These concepts may prevent institutions from embracing open standards.

Building our ecosystem

We are stronger when we work together, but we need direction.

  • As institutions, we have an opportunity to achieve greater impact by working together towards common goals.
  • The Wikimedia movement has a globally recognized and trusted brand and a global community, and has a leadership role to play in the open knowledge space.
  • To effectively collaborate, we need direction and a call to action.

Wikimedia can be a platform for other organizations.

  • Cultural and academic institutions need help bringing their works into the digital world.
  • These institutions need a technical platform for ensuring the longevity of their knowledge and cultural works.
  • Wikimedia, and particularly Wikidata, could be the platform institutions need -- one that is neutral and not proprietary.

We need to increase understanding of our values and practices to invite others to join.

  • Among cultural and educational institutions, awareness of open standards and practices is low.
  • Open organizations can work with more traditional organizations to help them navigate open standards, practices and data.
  • Among the general public, understanding of research and verifiable information is low. We can work together to build appreciation for knowledge.

Messages for Wikimedia

What is the one message you’d like the Wikimedia movement to know for our future?

Christina Riesenweber,  Freie Universität Berlin, Center for Digital Systems
"Scholars and scientists will be excited to work with you -- once they realize how much it will benefit their own work."
Tobias Gerber, World Health Summit
"To increase the usage of open data and structured data we need to go beyond preaching to the choir.  We need to reach people in their comfort zone of looking for and working with data.  Plus, we need a coalition of decision makers to pave the way for more open data usage."
Prof. Dr. Claudia Müller-Birn, Freie Universität Berlin, Institute of Informatics
"How to nurture a global movement for free knowledge in a way that all people and the needed technology is considered."
Dr. Gregor Hagedorn, Museum für Naturkunde Berlin
"Focus on responsibility for a sustainable life on this planet. All else comes from that. Provide the longevity collaboration platform. Focus on open educational resources (OER) including videos. Developed countries and developing countries institutions collaborate and improve reading materials for sustainable development."
Markus Neuschäfer, Open Knowledge Foundation Deutschland
"As online environments become increasingly commercialized, the Wikimedia Movement is an important representation of open culture: self-directed discovery and learning, co-creation and open networks. To promote open practices and digital literacy helps the foundation of open knowledge."
Sebastian Ruff, Museum of the City of Berlin
"You are one of the strongest voices speaking out for free knowledge and free licenses. Bear in mind to make this voice heard not only for people already convinced but also for (European) politicians and GLAMs."
Dr. Paul Klimpel, iRights and Internet & Society Collaboratory
"The 20th century cultural heritage of Europe is a “black hole” in the online world for copyright reasons. The legal framework is more restricted than in the US and other parts of the world. Wikimedia should be aware of black holes like this, and of important parts of human knowledge, that will not make it into the digital realm."