The arts and culture sector must think about data … but differently

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From exhibition directories to museum floorplans, data can augment the audience experience and offers new approaches to solving problems

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Data allows arts and culture organisations to become more playful and intuitive. Photograph: Felix Clay

Whether it's big, open or closed, data in the culture sector is perceived by and large as ticket sales, audience numbers and visitor footfall. However, we need to be thinking about data differently, and the positive impact it can have. I'd like to propose four ways in which we can do this.

All the examples mentioned below were presented at Culture In Numbers, an event hosted by Leeds Data Mill in February. The day was dedicated to projects, ideas and experiments by museums, arts organisations and practitioners who are using data to create real change.

Data can help museums encourage discovery and learning

Museums have a significant amount of reusable data about their collections, and this information can be combined with other sources to encourage discovery and learning. It's an approach best illustrated byV&A's Digital Map, launched in September 2013.

Andrew Lewis, digital content delivery manager, explained how the map, which is based on insight into visitor behaviour, combines collection data with real time information about events in the physical spaces of the museum, as well as information about essential facilities. This clever use of data from multiple sources is a great way to tell new stories about collections; it's also an opportunity for both virtual and physicalaudiences to discover objects on their own terms. The map is a great example of how museums can embrace emerging digital trends in a multi-channel, multi-device world.

Data can help showcase impact

Open data presents an opportunity to create evidence-based stories that can highlight the scale and impact of an arts organisation, making it a useful strategic resource.

Northern Ballet, for example, which performs to an audience of over 120,000 across the world, is pooling data about its operations with other dance organisations to create visualisations. These highlight the unique contribution the organisation makes, from the quality of cultural engagement to local job opportunities.

Laraine Penson, director of communications at Northern Ballet, said these maps are an accessible way of introducing data to show how Leeds compares with other regions. They also tell a story of Leeds as a city of dance, and how it connects to the rest of the world.

Data offers new approaches to solving problems

Combining data from different sources can help solve problems in new ways. This was the thinking behind Curator Space, a project management toolkit for curators, event organisers, galleries and artists. Co-founder Louise Atkinson explained that the aim was to create a framework that uses data to streamline workflow in order to save time and resources.

In the long term, the platform will also integrate with other open data sources to increase knowledge sharing across the arts, as well as increase access to opportunities. Atkinson offered a number of scenarios to explain how this could work. For example, Curator Space could link with OpenStreetMap (a free, editable map of the whole world) to help independent artists find venues to exhibit their work.

Data allows you to be playful and intuitive

Data can also be used within a more familiar context: social mediametrics. This data can offer unique insights and in the process create new ways of working, as well as new forms of storytelling that allow cultural institutions to develop new models of participation with audiences online.

Museum Selfie day is a great example of this approach. Mar Dixon, independent museum practitioner and the project's developer, explained how she launched the initiative on Twitter with an open brief – take a selfie in a museum – and watched it develop into an event with a global profile. The metrics from the day showed what worked and what didn't, and Dixon plans to use this learning to continue to experiment with new forms of engagement that begin from a playful and intuitive space.

So, where does one begin? Big and open data are emerging concepts and it can be difficult to grasp their application and benefits. These examples show how data can help create new and evidence based stories. Another way to understand the significance of data is that in the long term, data from different sources can be used to build an accurate picture, which can be used to make better choices and smarter decisions about resources.

To get to that point we need a lot more data from many different resources. In some cases the data is already there, but there are several issues that need to be addressed. This includes data protection as well as the collection and quality of data. Alongside this development we also need to make data more accessible to people and create a critical mass of organisations that are comfortable talking about culture in numbers.

Abhay Adhikari is a digital engagement specialist working in the arts, culture, voluntary and education sectors – follow him on Twitter@gopaldass