Towards a Common Definition of Open Data Intermediaries

Journal Article (2022)
Author(s)

Ashraf Shaharudin (TU Delft - Urban Data Science)

B. van Loenen (TU Delft - Urban Data Science)

M.F.W.H.A. Janssen (TU Delft - Engineering, Systems and Services)

Research Group
Urban Data Science
Copyright
© 2022 Ashraf Shaharudin, B. van Loenen, M.F.W.H.A. Janssen
DOI related publication
https://doi.org/10.1145/3585537
More Info
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Publication Year
2022
Language
English
Copyright
© 2022 Ashraf Shaharudin, B. van Loenen, M.F.W.H.A. Janssen
Research Group
Urban Data Science
Issue number
2
Volume number
4
Pages (from-to)
1-21
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Abstract

The role of open data intermediaries is considered instrumental in the supply and use of open data. There are various definitions of open data intermediaries in the literature and some of them are quite different from each other. These definitions
can benefit from harmonization so knowledge about open data intermediaries can be developed on top of a shared understanding of what open data intermediaries mean. The objective of this article is to propose a common definition of open data intermediaries. We first carried out a systematic literature review and compiled the definitions of open data intermediaries from the literature. We found that each definition can be broken down into four basic components: (i) Who are the actors of open data intermediaries? (ii) What do they do? (iii) Where are they located in the open data lifecycle? and (iv) Why are they needed? We then conducted another round of data gathering and analysis to substantiate the four basic components. We proposed the following common definition of open data intermediaries: Third-party actors who provide specialized resources
and capabilities to (i) enhance the supply, flow, and/or use of open data and/or (ii) strengthen the relationships among various open data stakeholders.