WIKIDATA IN DANCE

Currently, much of the information about the performing arts sector (including dancers, choreographers and dance organizations who are CDA members) is not properly formatted to be found, read and processed by search engines and other discovery technologies. As a result, it’s too often being ignored or underutilised.

The Wikidata in Dance Project aims to make performing arts information findable to help build better connections in our sector – between arts workers and audiences – in the digital age. This can be achieved by converting publicly available text information dispersed all over the web into data accessible for reuse in open databases such as Wikidata and the Artsdata knowledge graph.

This project is the continuation of the work undertaken as part of CDA’s digital strategy: to promote a healthy, sustainable environment in which professional dance practice can grow and thrive. CDA is working to interconnect CDA member data with: the Artsdata knowledge graph and Wikidata. 

CDA is asking members to consent and opt-in or opt-out of this data project.

Wikidata in Dance will provide the technical know-how to format the publicly available member information only, held by CDA into linked, open data and to add it to the Artsdata knowledge graph so that dance artists, organizations, and related dance events can be more easily accessed online.

There are many benefits to making member information linked and open by adding it to the Artsdata knowledge graph and Wikidata. 

• Exercise ownership and control over what information and data circulate about you in the web of open data. We want you to be able to control what information about you is made available as open data. This can be achieved by providing quality, up-to-date info about you renew your membership to the CDA. We are partnering with CADA/West (Canadian Alliance of Dance Artists West), CADA/East (Canadian Alliance of Dance Artists East), Dance Saskatchewan, and the Dance Umbrella of Ontario.
• Reinforce CDA, CADA-West and CADA-East as the primary sources of information about dance artists in Canada. Information about dance artists is already flowing from CADA/West and CADA/East to CDA. We want to go one step further by establishing a flow to open wikidatabases, and make sure that the origin remains traceable as the data flows.
• Make information about you and your work findable and accessible. Linked open data is like a jigsaw puzzle that self-assembles. When you allow your member information to be published as linked open data, it can be automatically assembled with other open data about the productions that you contributed to or the upcoming performance that you are performing in. 

• When information about the performing arts is turned into linked open data, it can more easily be found and processed by applications such as search engines. This means people who look you up over Google Search or Alexa will be delivered more accurate and detailed results (also known as rich results), highlighting your latest work, and inviting users to check your streaming platform or social media accounts. 
• This linked open data can be reused by other performing arts sector stakeholders. For example, it could be automatically populated into event listings to provide full production credits including your name and a link to your website.

We would like you to be aware of what kind of information we want to publish as linked open data, and to understand what that means to publish this information as linked open data. 

TYPES OF INFORMATION TO BE PUBLISH AS LINKED OPEN DATA

INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS:

Name 

Current work location (city, province)

Official website link (if applicable)

Links to external database: Wikidata, Wikipedia

ORGANIZATION MEMBERS:

Company Name

Organization type (for example, dance company, performing arts organization etc.)

Location (city, province)

Official website link

Publishing this information as linked open data under a Creative Commons CC0 License means the data can be read and used by anyone, for any purpose. While this can be seen as a risk and a loss of control, it can actually be a means of exercising control and agency. The potential benefits can outweigh the potential negative consequences arising from possible intentional or unintentional misuse.

Here are examples of Wikidata entries that were created as a result of open data publications by other associations:

• Canadian Dance Assembly
• CAPACOA
• RUBBERBANDance Group
• Quebec Dance Association

You will have the opportunity to opt-in or opt-out of this project with your 2022-2023 membership renewal (for membership July 1 2023 – June 30 2024).

• Summer 2023: CDA applies for funding to support this project, to hire experts to input the wikidata
• Summer 2024: CDA will complete this project. This includes:

Providing Q&A opportunities for members to share questions and learn, through social media and live events

CDA will inform all members the project is moving ahead