Purpose

This paper aims to explore the curation of government-produced datasets for release as open government data (OGD) from the perspective of the digital curation and preservation concept of a “Designated Community”. Specifically, it explores how digital curation functions when there is no clear Designated Community to which curation services can be targeted.

Design/methodology/approach

The research was conducted through a case study of the City of Toronto’s efforts to revitalize their OGD program. Data was collected using three methods: semi-structured interviews, non-participative observation and document analysis.

Findings

The curators of OGD responded to the absence of a Designated Community through two complementary methods. The first was to draw from the discourse that defines the OGD domain. The second was to take a participatory approach that incorporated members of the community surrounding OGD and various other stakeholders into the process of developing a plan for the revitalization of the program.

Research limitations/implications

This study opens new directions for investigating the application of the Designated Community concept and its role in digital curation and preservation.

Practical implications

The approach used by OGD curators in this case has the potential to be used in other curation situations where there is no clearly defined user group.

Originality/value

The findings presented in this paper contribute empirical insights to on-going discussions on the concept of a Designated Community in digital curation and preservation.

中文翻译：

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开放的政府数据（OGD）：挑战“指定社区”的概念

目的

本文旨在从“指定社区”的数字策展和保存概念的角度探讨政府制作的数据集的管理形式，以公开政府数据（OGD）的形式发布。特别是，它探讨了在没有明确的指定社区可以指定策展服务的情况下数字策展如何发挥作用。

设计/方法/方法

该研究是通过对多伦多市为振兴其OGD计划所做的努力进行的案例研究而进行的。使用三种方法收集数据：半结构化访谈，非参与性观察和文档分析。

发现

OGD的策展人通过两种互补的方法对指定社区的缺席做出了回应。首先是从定义OGD域的论述中汲取灵感。第二个是采取一种参与性的方法，将围绕OGD的社区成员和其他各种利益相关者纳入制定振兴计划的计划的过程。

研究局限/意义

这项研究为调查“指定社区”概念的应用及其在数字策展和保存中的作用开辟了新的方向。

实际影响

在这种情况下，OGD策展人使用的方法可能会在没有明确定义的用户组的其他策展情况下使用。

创意/价值

本文提出的发现为正在进行的关于数字策展和保存中指定社区的概念的讨论提供了经验性见解。