At a time when Canadian cultural sovereignty is gaining in prominence across the country, we need cultural data to truly understand the importance of culture to Canada and its communities, says OCAD U President Emerita Dr. Sara Diamond who is the co-principal investigator of a collaborative research project addressing this need.
The catalogue connects users to datasets such as MassCulture's DNA platform, a national resource of financial and operational data from over 4,500 arts organizations. (Image courtesy of the "Canadian Cultural Data Catalogue.")
Although cultural data is currently collected across distinct levels of government, institutions, funders, arts organizations, community groups and academics, it is scattered, inconsistently described, and often siloed. Even when data exists, it can be hard to find or use due to lack of documentation, unknown provenance, or unclear usage rights.
This challenge inspired the research team to think about how to bring clarity and coherence to this landscape.
The result?
The creation of the Canadian Cultural Data Catalogue that provides a centralized, searchable tool that connects artists, researchers, policymakers and organizations with cultural data resources across the country. This open-source secure platform, with all its servers in Canada, is currently a prototype pilot of three provinces and national datasets.
"The catalogue helps users quickly access high-quality, actionable information so they can make informed choices, build stronger cases, tell richer stories, advocate effectively, and better understand the evolving cultural landscape," explains Dr. Diamond.
