Abstract
As the digital era progresses, the volume of data is continuously escalating, offering new opportunities for data utilisation across all sectors. The increasing amount of underutilised and hidden dark data, coupled with limited mechanisms for disseminating open data, presents significant challenges. This study aimed to address these challenges by developing a validated framework, the Data Release Conceptual Framework, designed to facilitate the ethical and efficient distribution of open data from companies.
The research objectives were categorised into four research objective scopes: data growth, dark data, open data and data release. The focus was on understanding the drivers of data growth, identifying sources and challenges related to dark data, assessing the adoption of open data and its barriers and examining leadership and management strategies that influence data release.
Utilising a qualitative approach based on interpretivism, data was collected from professionals in data-generating and management roles across several sectors to assess and validate the framework. The findings demonstrate that technological breakthroughs, such as the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence, promote data expansion and the accumulation of dark data. Nonetheless, dark data harbours significant untapped potential. Open data initiatives, despite their worldwide explosion, face challenges such as inconsistent data quality and privacy concerns. Effective leadership and governance, together with proficient release management, are recognised as crucial for successful data release initiatives.
The updated Data Release Validated Framework integrates organisational leadership, data management, and deployment and release management underpinned by open data principles, offering a holistic plan for data release. The validation confirmed its importance and practical capacity to improve open data practices, despite some limitations in sample scope. This study provides theoretical insights and practical techniques for organisations seeking to leverage open data, thereby improving creativity, transparency and accountability through data management.