New food map for Wales + our push for open land data
Hello!
This month we’ve continued pushing the UK Land Registry to make key land data open and accessible to community groups and campaigners. We’re also celebrating the launch of a new MykoMaps project in Wales!
✂️ TL;DR
We’re continuing to push for more open land data for campaigners and re-emphasising our five key recommendations to the Land Registry. Read all of our recommendations below.
The Powys Food Map is live! Built with our MykoMaps platform by Cultivate, it showcases good food projects across Powys in Wales.
With all the recent news about AI, we’d love to hear your reflections on how AI can serve the commons rather than corporations.
💻 What We’re Working On
Our Recommendations to the Land Registry
We’re continuing to push for more open and accessible land data. Currently, the data that campaigners need access to costs over £20,000 per year. Our free tool, Land Explorer, makes it possible for communities and campaigners to access this data to understand who owns the land around them.
Here are our five recommendations…
Free access to core land datasets for community groups and campaigners. Right now, information that is crucial for land justice is behind a huge paywall. There should be a license that allows civic access to this data.
Improve data interoperability. Include consistent identifiers and make leasehold data visible so land information can link easily across datasets. This would make it simple for communities to see who really controls land.
Recognise and fund civil society users. Community groups and co-ops rely on land data. Design APIs and funding streams with their needs in mind to support public-benefit uses of data.
Commit to data stability. Provide version control, advance notice of changes, and strong documentation so tools like Land Explorer can depend on Land Registry data.
Enable UK-wide interoperability. Work toward alignment with Scottish and Northern Irish land data to improve transparency and understanding across the whole UK.
If you agree with these recommendations, please share this LinkedIn post and this Bluesky post with your networks.
🌾 The Powys Food Map is Live!
We’re excited to share that the Powys Food Map is now public! The interactive map shows good food businesses, farms, and community projects across Powys in Wales. It was created by Cultivate using our MykoMaps platform.
It’s a great example of how mapping can help connect local networks and strengthen regional food systems.
🤖 Ethical AI and Our Work
We mentioned this last month, but with all the noise about AI lately, we’ve been reflecting on what responsible, movement-led use of AI actually looks like.
We’ve drafted a set of DCC AI Ethical Guidelines. It’s a working document outlining how we use AI in our products and everyday work. It covers:
Minimising environmental footprint
Preferring open-source models
Encouraging critical engagement with AI
Protecting user privacy and data
Redistributing power, not reinforcing inequality
Ensuring transparency and accountability
These guidelines are part of our ongoing effort to build technology that aligns with our values of openness, justice, and care.
We’d love your feedback and reflections on them. Just reply to this email with any thoughts or questions.
Make sure to follow us on Bluesky and LinkedIn, and we’ll speak to you soon!
In solidarity,
The DCC team