Wikimedia Deutschland/Data Partnerships Model/Background

Background

Partnerships are an important component of furthering access to free and open knowledge for Wikimedia organizations. Wikimedia Deutschland acknowledges this and regards data partnerships as a key component of the larger strategy and vision for Wikidata and the Wikibase Ecosystem.

Through our data partnerships work we aim to create a robust set of Linked Open Data, both within Wikidata and across the Wikibase Ecosystem. This web of Linked Open Data should be accessible, usable and backed by an empowered and literate data community whose members continue to maintain and grow their data.

Because they are the stewards of vast data collections, partners have the potential to enrich and broaden the Wikidata and Wikibase Ecosystems. Our partners can make high-quality data contributions to Wikidata, use Wikidata’s data for their own purposes, and use Wikibase to store and manage their own data collections. By establishing and maintaining data partnerships, we create opportunities for organizations and individuals to contribute, thereby increasing access to knowledge and breaking down silos between fields.

More broadly, data partnerships are important for successfully carrying out the 2030 Wikimedia Movement's 2030 strategic direction. The movement strategy states, “Wikimedia will become the essential infrastructure of the ecosystem of free knowledge, and anyone who shares our vision will be able to join us.”

As we continue to work on data partnerships, we can modify and improve processes as needed while communicating what we learn to the Wikimedia movement and to the wider open knowledge ecosystem. In so doing we contribute to the growth of the movement itself.