Instructions
The DSI Scale is an open source tool that facilitates the assessment of DSI projects, taking into account values like knowledge sharing, technological openness and societal impact. The scale is not predefined: you propose the meaning of each indicator ratings ranging from 0 to 4.
How to build your version of the DSI scale: – Tell us your name or affiliation (optional) – Read the information to understand what the indicators should assess – Select the indicators you would like to define – Add your meanings to the ratings from 0 to 4 (0=low; 4=high)
Remember: you can define one indicator multiple times; the granularity of the meanings is really important. Create your DSI scale here below.
Indicators
Background knowledge
How much do you know about your peers in your area? The more you know about existing solutions, products and strategies, the easier it will be for you to scale and increase your impact. Who’s out there doing similar things to you? Why are they doing it? Is there a community already discussing the problem?
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Target and stakeholder mapping
Do you know who your target user is, and who can influence your project?
The more you have a clear and complete understanding of the people, groups and communities that can benefit from your project, the easier it will be to scale and increase your impact. Scaling will also be easier if you fully understand all the stakeholders in your project – including those who could support or prevent success.
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Level of Openness
How open are the outputs generated by your project?
The more you contribute to, and build upon, others’ open source projects, the easier you will be able to scale and increase your impact. If you use open licences correctly, share good-quality documentation through open collaborative systems, and learn from other projects, you will have greater success.
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Community engagement
Do you have a strategy to engage other people in contributing actively to your project?
The more you engage people in your project, online or in person, the easier you will be able to scale and increase your impact. The interaction of groups of people and organisations is essential to developing your project, and you need a plan to engage those people.
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Quality of the communication
How clear and effective is your communication?
The more you communicate your work, goals and impact through evidence, stories and pictures, the easier it will be for you to scale and increase your impact. You can reap more benefits if you talk to international audiences and have online tools which lower the barriers for entry, so that anyone can understand and contribute to your project.
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Quality of solutions
Can you show that your project is a good alternative to other existing ones addressing the same issue?
The more you gather feedback and evidence from users and stakeholders, the easier it will be for you to scale and increase your impact. If you test your solution – whether it is technology, a hard product, a service, a platform, or anything else – you can improve your product and show that it is comparable to, or better than, other solutions on the market.
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