Digital ecosystem and digital resources
Contemplating the digital ecosystem enables a deeper understanding of the driving forces that have brought the organisation to this point and the challenges that are intrinsic to the context of the organisation. Every organisation has a unique digital ecosystem – a set of attributes that are, so to speak, ‘baked into the cake’. Some organisations will have enterprise-grade systems, some outsource extensively and others have the in-house skills to allow them to rely on open source solutions. These differences will be formative in considering what is measured and how to measure it.
To understand the context of a digital resource the BVI Model scopes it against a set of parameters. These parameters consider the set of interdependent relationships among the resources, content, stakeholders, technologies, infrastructures, organisation hosting, legal and payment structures, creators and consumers. The BVI Model provides an opportunity to map and describe the ecosystem of the digital resource to provide a baseline for measurement and to establish some accepted ground truths.
Parameters to scope what a digital resource is, include the following.
- There is a defined resource that is made up of a describable, cohesive set of primary and secondary materials, services, products and activities.
- The resource is accessed primarily through a digital platform (web, mobile, virtual reality, exhibition console or other means).
- The nature of the content within the resource is digital – either achieved through digitisation or as born-digital content.
- There is a definable group of users that the resource is intended to reach by digital means.
- The resource does not have to stand alone; it could be part of a broader set of activities, products or services.