1. Linked Open Data for the Performing Arts:
Latest Developments in Switzerland, Canada, and beyond
Beat Estermann, Opendata.ch Association / Bern Academy of the Arts
NDFI4Culture, PERFORMANCE – PRODUCTION – DATA, Leipzig, 14-15 Sept. 2023
Opernhaus Leipzig. Wikimedia Commons, User:Ichwarsnur, CC BY-SA 4.0

2. ▶ Bern University of Applied Sciences: E-Government / Public Sector Transformation
(2007-2022); Bern Academy of the Arts (2023- )
▶ Opendata.ch Association: Member of the Board, focus: cultural & heritage data, linked
data, data ecosystems
▶ Association Digitale Allmend / « Creative Commons »
▶ Wikimedia / Wikipedia / Wikidata
▶ Relevant Cooperations / Mandates:
• Swiss Archive of the Performing Arts (SAPA) – Production Database
• Wikidata Projects Performing Arts / Cultural Venues
• Canadian Arts Presenting Association (CAPACOA) – Linked Digital Future Initiative, LODEPA Network
• Swiss Data Alliance – Whitepaper Chapter Data Space for Cultural and Cultural Heritage Data
• Fugu GmbH / Hinto – Linked Open Event Data
Personal Background Beat Estermann

3. Linked Open Data Ecosystem for the
Performing Arts (LODEPA)
LODEPA Community
Jointly led by:
Frédéric Julien (Canadian Association for the Performing Arts CAPACOA)
Beat Estermann (Opendata.ch)

4. LODEPA WG6 “Wikidata”
• Coordination via mailing list, Slack, trimestrial Zoom meetings, Google Docs
• Documentation at: WikiProjects “Performing Arts” and “Cultural Venues”
Main topics covered over the past two years:
• conflation issues between “venue” and “organization” items
• “event venue”: definition, typology
• “Worldcat” of the performing arts (referencing heritage holdings)
• “performing arts productions” / “premieres” / “individual performances”
Applications
• Canadian Performing Arts Directory, entirely powered by open data (Artsdata.ca / Wikidata)
• Culture in Time App (facilitating exploration, combination and configuration of Linked Open Data sources)
• Swiss Archive of the Performing Arts (SAPA) working towards a “Panorama” Microsite entirely powered by Wikidata
Outreach in the form of online workshops, mainly organized by CAPACOA
workshops and tutorials targeted at GLAM staff by Opendata.ch
Incremental, Pragmatic Standardization: Wikidata
Lead: Frédéric Julien, Beat Estermann

6. Towards Formal Standardization: W3C PAIR-CG
▶ W3C PAIR-CG Community Group (PAIR = Performing Arts Information Representation)
• PAIR-CG-MiLOPA Document (July 2022 version)
• MiLOPA (Mid-Level Ontology for the Performing Arts) OWL artefact, published in April 2023.
Core Terminology / Core Concepts:
• Artistic Process
• Performance Work
• Creative Material
• Artistic Intention
• Creative Contribution
• Roles
Lead: Mariel Marshall, Daniela Rosu, Sarah Bay-Cheng

7. Current Trends within the Network
Heritage collections
Integration along the primary value chain
Event
calendars
Production Databases
simple
events
complex
events
Performing Arts Value Network, based on: Bonet, L., & Schargorodsky, H. (2018). “Theatre management: models and strategies for cultural venues”. Policy, 23(2), 159-173.

8. “Open Event Data” Working Group
Open Event Data Manifesto - Draft 0.2
To join the WG / mailing list, please contact: beat.estermann@opendata.ch

9. • Events play an important role in the public life of a society. Ensuring the visibility of events and availability of
event data in the digital space plays a crucial role in the digital age.
• There is a high potential in automatizing the data transfer and in establishing a culture of sharing in order to
facilitate the dissemination of event data.
• A distributed data infrastructure based on the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable,
Reusable) has the advantage for producers, organizers, and other stakeholders along the value chain of
having to enter their data only once, without having to deal with the lock-in problems resulting from dominant
event and ticketing platform providers.
• Open Data: “A piece of data or content is open if anyone is free to use, reuse, and redistribute it — subject
only, at most, to the requirement to give credit to the author and/or making any resulting work available
under the same terms as the original work.”
Vision / Rationale

10. 1. Share your event data through an open, publicly documented API.
2. Release your event data (factual data) into the public domain using an appropriate legal tool such as the
Creative Commons Zero Waiver.
3. When publishing copyrighted material, such as images, video recordings, or longer descriptions, make an
explicit and robust statement by means of a standard copyright license of your wishes and expectations
with respect to reuse and repurposing. Seek prior consent of the people concerned (e.g. individuals
depicted on a photo), respecting their right to digital self-determination.
4. When publishing data about your events, make use of unique identifiers and refer to shared authority files
or base registers wherever possible (“bridge” identifiers).
5. Promote the accessibility of your events by making accessibility-related information about the venues and
the events themselves available in a standard format.
Principles

11. ▶ Set-up Working Group (national data aggregators, data publishers / cultural calendars, providers
of accessibility data for venues, network coordinators)
CH, CA, …
▶ Secure Funding
▶ Iterative Implementation of the 5 principles: pilot – second round – large scale
▶ Exchange of experiences / best practices
▶ Sensitization of key stakeholders (tourism organizations, etc.)
Action Plan
Data integration via Wikidata: initial focus on venues; then organizations, persons
Data modelling: complex events in focus from 2024

12. Contact
Beat Estermann
Opendata.ch
Member of the Board
beat.estermann@opendata.ch