Introducing ‘Canvas’, the Open Data Institute’s new research publication on Medium

By Ben Snaith and Jared Robert Keller

The Open Data Institute (ODI) is excited to announce the launch of a new Medium publication called Canvas. Canvas will be a place for the ODI research team to share their latest thinking on a range of topics, from artificial intelligence and privacy-enhancing technologies to citizen science and data justice. For us, the name ‘Canvas’ reflects our commitment to engage with other researchers, communities and organisations to gather their views on the past, present and future of data. It also reflects our intention to use this space as an area for experimentation — a blank canvas where we can try out new forms of research and communication.

Each piece published in Canvas will come directly from an ODI researcher, and will therefore be a reflection of their research interests and their individual communication style. Expect to see think pieces and ‘week-note’ style updates about new topics we’re investigating, but also expect creative writing, visualisations, conversation starters and open questions. If there is interest from our community, we may even publish collaborative bibliographies or publish surveys to gather opinions about topics we’re exploring — or should be exploring.

As an ODI offering, the pieces published in Canvas will embody the new ODI values of curiosity, creativity, and collaboration. For the research team this means our work will be:

Inquisitive — We will explore new topics and always be on the lookout for emerging trends that are going to influence the future of data and society. We will engage with new ideas about what the future could or should look like and examine the proposed means of bringing about those potential futures.

Provocative — We will use this space to be more speculative and challenging when working through new questions or topics. We will publish provocative pieces to stimulate debate, evoke emotions, and as an invitation for others to help us reflect on or challenge our own thinking.

Inventive — We will experiment with new research methodologies and communication styles. We will use this space to seek out new approaches to investigating and making sense of an ever-evolving world of data and strive to identify new ways of helping others understand how developments in data are likely to impact them.

Expansive — We will work to expand our thinking and community by bringing in people, ideas and approaches from outside our London-based organisation. We will use our curiosity to start conversations and actively seek out diversity of thought in order to make our research better.

To kick off the publication we’ll be publishing a series of articles on topics of emerging interest, including:

• An exploration of the adverse consequences of the inaccessibility of social media platform data for public interest and social science research
• A discussion of the UK Government’s focus on open cross-border data flows in the Indo-Pacific region, examining the interplay between economic interests, geopolitics and ideological differences reflected in digital trade and data governance
• A reflection on personal discomfort regarding the way in which the language of ‘smart’ is spreading from ‘smart cities’ into natural and rural areas
• A look at the potential contradictions involved when data and digital technologies are touted as tools to tackle climate change, while also often serving to contribute towards the problem
• An investigation into the ways in which the concept of ‘open’ is being deployed in situations that are far from open

To make sure you receive these pieces when they are published and to stay up to date on the latest thinking and insights from the ODI research team, we encourage you to subscribe to Canvas by clicking ‘follow’ on the publication page.

If you have questions for the ODI research team or if you have an idea for a piece you’d like to propose for Canvas, feel free to write to us at research@theodi.org.

Together we believe we can make this a valuable new platform for collaborating with diverse research communities and driving conversation and thought about the past, present and future of data and society.