Institute for Digital Public Infrastructure (iDPI)
Business Profile
Core Value Proposition
Institute for Digital Public Infrastructure (iDPI) provides rigorous academic research and practical tools to explore and promote digital infrastructure that centers civic life and the public good.
Target Customer
Academics, policymakers, nonprofit organizations, civic tech practitioners, and researchers interested in digital public infrastructure and the socio-political implications of the internet.
Key Differentiator
Combines university-level research with open-source tooling (Media Cloud) and a global citizen media network (Global Voices) to design and advocate for digital public infrastructure focused on public good, not private profit.
Implementation Timeline
Not specified in the provided content.
Pain Points
- 1Lack of civic-focused, public-interest digital infrastructure to counteract purely commercial internet models.
- 2Information ecosystems that are fragmented and echo-chamber prone, hindering broad civic engagement.
- 3Ad-supported internet dynamics that contributors describe as toxic to public discourse and trust in institutions.
Key Features
- 1Institute for Digital Public Infrastructure (iDPI) – a new research center at UMass Amherst focused on civic-oriented internet futures.
- 2Gobo – a social media aggregator enabling control over inputs from key voices (part of Ethan Zuckerman’s projects).
- 3Media Cloud – a free, open source tool for tracking ideas, individuals, and stories across the open web.
- 4Global Voices – online community of writers and translators amplifying global perspectives and participatory media.
- 5Public speaking, books, and research outputs that explore digital public infrastructure and related topics.
Target Customer Industries
Decision Makers
- 1Associate Professor of Public Policy, Communication and Information (UMass Amherst)
- 2Founder of the Institute for Digital Public Infrastructure
- 3Co-founder of Global Voices
Client Results
- 1Advancing understanding and advocacy for digital public infrastructure as an alternative to purely commercial internet models.
- 2Development and promotion of open-source tooling (Media Cloud) and global citizen media networks to support civic discourse.
- 3Thought leadership and public policy engagement through books, articles, and talks.
Competitive Advantages
- 1Open-source, freely available tools (Media Cloud) that support tracking and analysis of global media and public discourse.
- 2Combined academic, nonprofit, and global media perspectives to inform digital public infrastructure.
- 3Established, long-running projects with international reach (Global Voices) and academic credibility (UMass affiliation, MIT/Berkman Klein connections).
Key Benefits
Additional Product Information
Product Description
A research center at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, exploring future visions of the internet that center civic life and the public good.
Target Market
Universities and research institutions, government and public policy organizations, nonprofit and civil society groups, media organizations, and civic tech initiatives seeking to develop or leverage digital public infrastructure.
Unique Value Proposition
A research-driven, open, and globally connected approach to building digital public infrastructure that centers civic life and public good, supported by open-source tools and an active global media community.
Technical Requirements
Media Cloud is described as a free, open-source tool; other technical details are not specified in the provided content.
Pricing Model
Not disclosed in the provided content.
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