In order to achieve a better understanding of the research topic, it is necessary to expand on some concepts that have been recurrently mentioned throughout this article. First, an approach to the definition of open knowledge will be provided; it should be noted that, although there is no widely accepted proposition, elements have been taken from various essential theoretical alternatives to the term. Furthermore, as a preamble to the use of wikis as collaborative platforms, it is also pertinent to develop what open licenses and public domain statements are and how they are used in sharing open knowledge. Subsequently, in a generalized way, the importance that open knowledge and wikis provide in the promotion of Sustainable Development will be explored, this will give a guideline to present Appropedia as the only wiki that provides documentation on sustainability issues.
An approach to the definition of open knowledge
The term open knowledge has been gradually strengthening since the advent of the Internet in 1982, thanks to the ease that this network of networks has generated in the rapid and effective distribution of information. Open knowledge is multifaceted, and due to this attribute, it does not have a widely accepted definition. However, for the purposes of this research, the definition provided by the Inter-American Development Bank (2022) is relevant, which conceives it as knowledge that has the legal and technological characteristics to be reused and shared, without restrictions, by any person or organization, at any time and anywhere. Therefore, this type of knowledge offers an opportunity for all open content or information to be freely used, distributed, and replicated by everyone.
For the IDB, there are also five basic concepts that allow for a greater understanding of how open knowledge operates. The first of these is open learning, defined as a pedagogical practice that breaks traditional educational barriers by maximizing learning opportunities through free access to educational resources, flexibility in teaching methods through the use of new technologies, and collaborative participation through practices such as m-learning—use of mobile devices and wireless transmission—to maximize communication effectiveness. The second term is open source, which is software whose source code is free and made available to anyone for distribution. The third key concept is open access, addressed through the “Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities” in 2003, initiated by the Max Planck Society. This document has been signed by governments, universities, foundations, libraries, museums, and research institutions worldwide, establishing that all open access contributions such as original research results, raw data and metadata, academic multimedia material, and digital and graphic materials should be free, unrestricted, and easily accessible. The fourth concept is open data, which is data available in digital form that possesses the necessary technical characteristics and open licenses to be freely reused and redistributed. Finally, the fifth key concept is open innovation, understood as a strategic approach that promotes collaboration with other organizations to enhance access to new ideas and technologies. All these concepts are essential for a better understanding of everything that open knowledge entails, which is not a static concept, and the relevance it holds for the development ecosystem.
Additionally, for the Open Knowledge Foundation, it is also important to emphasize that, in the process of achieving a greater understanding of what is meant by the term, there are certain parameters that this type of knowledge must meet, related to its availability and distribution. First, the content must be in the public domain or have an open license that allows the information to be used freely. The second parameter establishes the importance of the information being available in its entirety and not in fragments, and that it must also be free of charge, meaning there should be no cost when it is downloaded. The third parameter emphasizes that the available information must be machine-processable and also provide easy access for editing and modifying the content. Finally, everything must be provided in an open format.
Open licenses and public domain
As mentioned earlier, one of the basic parameters for knowledge to be considered open is that it is published under an open license or a public domain declaration. In the case of the former, these types of licenses allow information to be redistributed and reused with few restrictions. In other words, open licenses indicate to a person or organization that the content can be used under certain conditions established by the author and the type of open license used. On the other hand, information published under a public domain declaration can be used and exploited freely, without any permission, while respecting the author's integrity. This tool allows the creator of a work to waive their copyright and place it in the public domain. Both terms are embedded within open access, making information more useful by allowing a greater number of people to make use of it.
To delve deeper into open licenses, it must be mentioned that there are a variety of them; however, the most well-known and widely used are those offered by Creative Commons, an international nonprofit organization that seeks to share technical, legal, and policy solutions to benefit the exchange of knowledge. Creative Commons open licenses allow the use of a work but under certain conditions, ensuring that the content remains protected. In other words, if an author wishes to post their work on the internet to reach a wider audience, they can use one of these licenses, which must be attached to their work so that the public can identify the usage conditions chosen by the author when accessing the open content.
There are six types of open licenses, which are presented in the following table:
The use of wikis as collaborative platforms
Currently, wikis are considered highly relevant digital tools. Since their inception in 1995, when Ward Cunningham created a new technology that allowed the organization of information on websites, wikis have evolved the way Internet users share or distribute knowledge. According to the Basque Institute of Statistics, a wiki is defined as a platform where interconnected web pages are created or edited through a browser. This interconnection allows multiple users to create, edit, organize, distribute, and share content collaboratively and easily. The central idea of this type of platform lies in the accessibility they offer to users, as most wikis feature a simple interface that does not require advanced technical skills. All of this promotes the open collaboration and dissemination of knowledge.
Essentially, wikis are collaborative platforms due to their ability to facilitate simultaneous editing among multiple users, who can access the platform and make changes to content. Some characteristics that make wikis collaborative platforms are:
- They allow a revision history that shows all edits made to a page, which is an essential attribute because it reveals which user has made changes to the documented information and the date the changes were made.
- Within a wiki platform, web pages allow a space for generating discussions about the available information. This feedback tool enables the exchange of learning experiences among community users and facilitates communication between platform administrators and users when resolving an identified error. This space is generally used for people to debate how to improve the content on the pages.
- Most wikis use simple markup language, which is the way a web page is coded. This functionality allows anyone to edit content without needing advanced technical knowledge in programming.
- Wikis contain internal links that connect related pages throughout the platform, facilitating navigation and the search for any type of information.
- Most of these open knowledge platforms allow content collaborators to choose the license under which they wish to share the documented information. These licenses can range from public domain licenses to more restrictive ones, as specified in section 2.2.
- Lastly, these websites also have control systems that enable wiki administrators and collaborators to track the edits made by users on the pages, restoring previous versions if necessary.
From the above, when discussing project management, with an emphasis on the learning phase, it is important to establish that a wiki has the capacity to become a collaborative tool for development-promoting organizations because it creates a space where a team can easily collaborate, edit, and continuously contribute to documenting relevant information about a project from a transparency perspective. This is due to the continuous tracking of changes made to the edited pages. Thus, using a wiki as a repository for documentation allows each team member to find the documented information in one place and edit it more easily compared to other software.
Now, when discussing knowledge management, it should be understood that the strategy to be followed for the administration and documentation of information within an organization must consider the ability to adapt and utilize new technologies in various internal processes. This directly contributes to collaborative decision-making and, consequently, to learning in the development projects being executed. In this sense, wikis can also be ideal tools for documenting internal knowledge within an organization because people can create, update, and share manuals, guides, and other resources relevant to informed decision-making. These contributions also foster a culture of learning, best practices, and improved organizational adaptability to emerging changes.
The importance of open knowledge and the use of wikis in the promotion of Sustainable Development
Open knowledge is a tool that has the ability to bring together a set of initiatives that make information available to the public; being part of a global, economic, social, and cultural movement of openness, it is understood that information should be valued as a community resource accessible to anyone. In the constant search for a more sustainable future, access to this type of knowledge is fundamental because through collaborative spaces, such as wikis, a vast array of solutions can be found to address pressing needs using appropriate technologies — those that adapt to a local environment based on the needs of communities — research, prototypes, and best practices in project management for development.
Wikis can promote the collaboration of multiple key actors within the development ecosystem who are willing to contribute, from their experience and knowledge, to the creation, editing, and updating of content related to sustainability topics that have great potential to improve the quality of life of a community. This can empower communities to make informed decisions. One example of this is the Practivistas Dominicana Program, implemented by California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, and Universidad Iberoamericana. In this program, students from the United States live for six weeks with a family in the community of La Yuca, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, while identifying, along with community residents, pressing issues and creating innovative solutions ranging from the creation of houses made from eco-bricks, the design of a rainwater harvesting system, the construction of an electric system based on solar and wind energy, among others. These initiatives are relevant because the main goal of the program is for both residents and students to participate, learn, and work together in identifying solutions, with the intention that this knowledge can be replicated by the entire community.
These prototypes, designs, models, and information that are part of the program have been documented on Appropedia and have served as the basis for the replication of other similar initiatives. If there is something to highlight from this experience, it is that even individuals — in this case, students — can contribute to sustainable development while acquiring various life skills.
For development-promoting organizations, easy access to open knowledge and the use of wikis have also become essential tools in their constant search for innovative solutions to achieve a more sustainable world. In this sense, this type of knowledge allows organizations to access an open repository of information where it is possible to learn from the experiences of others, avoiding the duplication of efforts and enabling the adaptation of lessons learned, best practices, and findings from other development projects. All of this also serves for the documentation and promotion of their own experiences, which can be used in internal knowledge management and for decision-making that contributes to the continuous improvement of organizational strategies in response to changing contexts within the dynamics of development.
