Open and reuse data (Open Data)

The Department’s Open Data Strategy

The choice to make public data accessible and reusable is part of a search for better sharing and greater dissemination of information. The aim is to make the best use of this data and its wider circulation. This is to enable the evaluation of public policies, the improvement and transparency of public action and the stimulation of research and innovation. The opening-up of data and cultural content must be organised with respect for intellectual property rights and respect for the privacy of citizens, in particular through the protection of personal data (GDPR).

Public data from the cultural sector contribute to the education of citizens and young people, to the creation of innovative cultural services and thus promote cultural democratization and the transmission of knowledge. The development of digital technology has led to a transformation of the ways in which cultural data are consumed, as well as of practices and uses. This is why the openness of public data has led to make the issue of reusing this data one of the central issues of cultural policies.

The Ministry of Culture’s open data strategy is one of the foundations of a digital cultural public service. This digital strategy for disseminating and reusing digital public data in the cultural sector is built around six axes:

1. Open priority departmental datasets
2. Provide tools for quality data dissemination
3. Promote, in compliance with copyright, free access to digital cultural content, particularly by school communities and the scientific and academic world
4. Promote visibility and stimulate the reuse of cultural data
5. Participate in the work, studies and reflections on developments in the legislative and regulatory framework surrounding the reuse of public sector information
6. Develop the support offer, especially for public institutions 

Open Data Platform

For a better exploitation, the ministry proposes a thematic platform of open cultural data, data.culture.gouv.fr, synchronized with the national platform data.gouv.fr.
The data.culture.gouv.fr platform offers a space for the exploitation of digital cultural resources (data-visualisations, cartographies, graphics, images, reuse) for the attention of all citizens, researchers, students, journalists, developers and companies, with built-in APIs and various open formats.

The objective of data.culture.gouv.fr is to federate its users and producers around a cultural eco-system of open and linked data. The platform offers its users the opportunity to submit their comments, in order to enable them to contribute to the improvement of the service provided.

The data published on data.culture.gouv.fr cover both the activity of cultural institutions (visits to museums) as well as economic aspects (aid to the press), iconographic resources (war fund 14-18) and cultural events (European Heritage Days).

The data catalogue

In order to improve the sharing and knowledge of the heritage of its data, the Ministry has produced a catalogue of resources produced by the central administration, regional cultural affairs directorates and services with national competence.

Practical tools

Find practical guides and tools to open and share your data.