About us
Visual data are increasingly central to social research. Photos, videos, screenshots, and other visual materials offer rich insights into social life, culture, and everyday practices. At the same time, making visual data open raises specific ethical, legal, and methodological challenges that cannot be addressed by generic open data principles alone. CodeVis was created to address these challenges and support responsible, context-sensitive open data practices in visual social research.
Why this project matters
Visual data are highly context-dependent and difficult to anonymize. Once shared, they can be easily reinterpreted, reused, or amplified, increasing the risk of misrepresentation or unintended harm. For this reason, visual data cannot be treated like other research data. Responsible openness requires early, reflexive, and context-sensitive decisions that balance transparency, accessibility, and ethical responsibility.
What we do
CodeVis is part of the project ODSS-PROV – Open Data, Shared Standards: Promoting Adequate Open Data Practices in Visual Social Research funded by swissuniversities. Before this project, the team developed a Recommendations for open data practices in visual social research, created with experts and through workshops. Now, the goal is to make this Recommendations widely accessible and usable through this interactive website. This platform is conceptualize to help researchers navigate practical decisions about open data in visual social research across the research process, from the conceptual phase to data reuse.
Community & contribution
CodeVis is an evolving guidelines.
We invite researchers to:
- share examples of best open data practices
- contribute case studies
- suggest new perspectives
Our aim is to build a community of visual researchers committed to responsible and sustainable open data practices.
Team
Prof. Dr. Katharina Lobinger
Associate Professor at USI, Katharina Lobinger researches visual communication, digital culture, and ethics in the digital age. Her work focuses on visual methods and open data practices in visual research. Read more.
Dr. Anna Picco-Schwendener
Scientific Collaborator at USI and program manager at CCdigitallaw, Anna works on online communication, eGovernment, and digital law. She is also involved in eLearning and digital innovation projects. Read more.
Pasqualina Sibio
At the USI eLearning Lab, Pasqualina works on digital skills training and communication. She contributes to projects on open education, digital law, and visual research dissemination. Read more.
Dr. Deborah Barcella
Postdoctoral researcher at USI, Deborah studies the history of the Web, with a focus on communication and branding. She is also active in public engagement projects on media history. Read more.
Suzanna Farace Marazza
Legal expert at CCdigitallaw and PhD candidate, Suzanna specializes in copyright, data protection, and digital law. She supports institutions and researchers in navigating legal challenges of digital and open practices. Read more.
Gianfranco Valsecchi
Gianfranco is currently part of the CCdigitallaw team, where he provides training and advisory services to internal and external stakeholders on topics including data protection, copyright, and open science. Read more.
The project is developed at USI Università della Svizzera Italiana in collaborazione with the eLearning Lab and CCdigitallaw.
Funded by swissuniversities.