Visual Data and Open Science: Friends or Foes?
The project ODSS-PROV – Open Data, Shared Standards: Promoting Adequate Open Data Practices in Visual Social Research, funded by Swissuniversities, promotes guidance for researchers on handling visual data responsibly, especially in social sciences and humanities. Indeed, while Open Science enhances transparency and reuse, it also raises specific challenges when working with visual materials, including difficulties with anonymization, ethical risks, legal responsibilities, and contextual sensitivities. To address these issues, the project has developed a document of Recommendations for open data practices in visual social research and is currently working on an online guidance platform to support researchers in implementing context-sensitive, ethically robust open data practices.
In May 2026, the project team will host two interactive workshops, one in person and one online, introducing the guidance platform and actively engaging participants in applying it to real-life cases of visual data sharing. Participants will explore how to navigate ethical, legal, and contextual challenges in Open Science, learn how to effectively use the platform, and understand how to integrate it strategically into their own research practices.
Therefore, if you work with visual materials in the social sciences, or if you are simply interested in Open Science practices, you are warmly invited to take part in one of the upcoming workshops.
Further details about the workshops, including dates, locations, and the registration links, can be found here below.
