The importance of opening cultural data

Did you know that open digital heritage is fundamental to understanding the world around us, to boosting a more creative economy and to meeting agreed educational goals? It is estimated that around 90% of the world's cultural heritage has not yet been digitized. Of the remaining 10% that has been digitized, just 34% is available online while only 3% of that work is open

Most cultural institutions have a great deal of valuable information. This information is usually found mainly in the form of collections, but also in the files of authors, dates, technique, etc. Both the works and their information are susceptible to being converted into open data.

Some examples of museums that have digitized and opened their collection are The Rijksmuseum (Netherlands), the Statens Museum for Kunst (Denmark) or the Metropolitan Museum (USA).

What new products can be created by reusing cultural data?

New technologies offer us endless possibilities when it comes to creating new products through the reuse of cultural data. This is the case of new educational platforms such as BNEscolar, which allow for the learning of art from a different point of view. Open cultural data can even be used to generate scaperoom games or new art pieces. They can also be used as design tools or to complement films and documentaries.

In short, it can be established that cultural data are endowed with a great value that, through greater openness, could be of great benefit for the creation of new initiatives that provide benefits for the whole society.