The Murmurations protocol is a new way to manage directories and maps.
OPEN source and FREE TO USE
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OWN YOUR OWN DATA
The problem.
People often want to map the organisations in their sectors. But maps and directories which rely on people adding data to centralised databases are always out of date – because organisations move, change their web address or other details, and forget to update the directory.
The problems with centralised maps and directories include:
• Large amounts of manual effort required to identify and enter the information
• Difficulties sharing data between similar or overlapping maps and directories
• Difficulties keeping data up to date
• Organisations are required to update data on multiple platforms
• Fragmented, incomplete and outdated data frequently disappoints searchers
Centralised maps and directories can never be updated often enough to keep them relevant. Until now….
The solution.
Rather than creating centralised data sets, The Murmurations protocol makes it easy for Organisations to host data about themselves on their own web sites.
The data is structured in a way that it can be automatically ‘crawled’ and aggregated, based on specific filterable criteria, so that directories and maps are automatically updated about an organisation from a single authoritative source. That source being the organisation itself!
Simple
Your project or organisations' profile can be updated on your own website. If you use WordPress there's a simple plugin.
Consistent
A standard protocol enables multiple directories and maps to be created from the same underlying data architecture.
Standard
The protocol makes use of existing solutions and schemas for machine-readable data, including RSS, RDF, JSON-LD, and schema.org
Synergy
As more organisations create their profiles the increasing body of data will reveal paterns and synergies which are currently hidden.
Simple sharing.
The Murmations protocol helps organisations share their content further and faster with less effort.
Instead of publishing multiple entries and posts on several different directories and platforms, The Murmurations protocol pushes an organisations’ profile and posts out to the wider internet automatically, making them easier to find.
When you create a Murmurations profile your latest content is automatically indexed, making it available to multiple aggregators, directories and maps without the need to create multiple listings and posts on other sites.
The Murmurations protocol places control back in the hands of the user – so publishers can manage their data on their own websites and relax in the knowledge that their updates are reflected elsewhere on the web.
Murmurations makes sharing simple again.
The data architecture
Murmurations profiles
A Murmurations profile is a .json file which you add to your website. You can create your profile here or, if you use WordPress, you can install a simple plugin to create your profile in just a few clicks.
Your .json file collates data about your project or organisation in a standard format and makes it available to the Murmurations Index.
The Murmurations Index
The Murmurations Index keeps a record of the latest data from every organisation that has created a Murmurations profile and submitted it to the index.
The WordPress plugin ‘pings’ the Murmurations Index whenever content is saved, to ensure the Index is kept up to date.
Murmurations Aggregators
Anyone wishing to build maps or directories for their sector can aggregate and filter content from the Murmurations Index.
If you are interested in mapping or listing the organisations in your specific sector or region we can help you deploy an aggregator.
The White Paper
Read more about the Murmurations project:
Problems with existing mapping projects and directories,
the Murmarations approach, the data architecture, schemas and add-on schemas, and the questions and challenges for the project.
Feedback is requested!
Get in Touch
We are especially interested to hear from organisations within the solidarity / mutual aid / collaborative / cooperative economy who share our ambitions to reveal the synergies within our movement – and would be interested in collaboration.
Support Murmurations
Murmurations is an unfunded volunteer-led project.
Please consider making a donation to support the development of better maps, directories and aggregators.