--- title: "Digital Strategy for Leipzig ♥ Leipzig Region" url: "https://www.leipzig.travel/en/b2b/digital-strategy" description: "Digital Strategy: Boost tourism and competitiveness in Leipzig & the Region with us by making use of open data!" language: "en" breadcrumb: "Root > Leipzig Travel > B2B > Partners > Digital Strategy" --- Digital strategy for Leipzig and the region =========================================== Good data is the foundation of the future ----------------------------------------- **The digitalisation of our data is one of the most important tasks for Leipzig and the region, both now and in the future.** The data must be prepared in a way that makes it **machine-readable** and usable by any stakeholder or company, regardless of the desired output format, from smartphones to large screens. Only if we succeed in increasing the **touchpoints** for leisure and business travellers and are visible with **relevant information** at the **right time** on the **right channel**, can we maintain and expand our relevance as an attractive tourism and business travel destination, both digitally and in the future. Important prerequisites for this are **uniform data standards** and the **licensing-related opening** of the data. SaTourN Sachsen Hub Logo Together we want to ... - proactively shape the digital transformation for the **tourism** and **convention sectors** - increase **visibility and reach** for Leipzig and the region as well as **service quality** through the digitalisation of our data - provide information about the **organisational** and **technical requirements** so that extensive, well-structured data can be made available for the Sachsen Hub - create best practices for filling the Sachsen Hub with **high-quality data** - share the data from the Sachsen Hub with the **Knowledge Graph** of the German National Tourist Board **(DZT)** and the German Convention Bureau **(GCB)** What is the Saxony Hub SaTourN? ------------------------------- *Play video*Play external content Please accept all necessary cookies to watch this video. The name **SaTourN** stands for **Sa**xony **Tour**ism **N**etwork and forms the centre of a complex digital infrastructure for Saxony. The system network provided by the Tourismus Marketing Gesellschaft Sachsen (**TMGS**) enables all Saxon destinations to collect, link and make their tourism and convention data centrally **accessible**. Here, the data is aggregated and prepared according to a **uniform schema** so that it can be made accessible and usable together for **various digital applications**. The heart of SaTourN is a relational database that provides data such as ***accommodation***, ***event***, ***gastronomy***, ***tours***, ***POI***, ***article*** and ***offer*** data. As a data hub, it is connected via interfaces to various **primary systems** such as Outdooractive, Feratel and BookingKit. These systems have been used for many years, allowing **decentralised data maintenance** through established structures. 2606 POIs with an open license from Leipzig and the region 215 Restaurants with an open license from Leipzig and the region 277 Tours with an open license from Leipzig and the region ### I want to participate. What do I need to do? For a high-quality data set, we need your support. We kindly request the submission of: - Your master data - Texts that describe your organization - Images with CC-BY licenses ### **Why are open, structured data important?** Open Data creates the basis for digital transformation toward artificial intelligence. In this way, we secure Leipzig as a tourism and convention destination and strengthen the competitiveness of our region. ### What is Open Data? Open data refers to data that is **public** and **freely accessible** **without restrictions** due to legal requirements. It can be used by **anyone** to develop new applications, products, or services. Open data can be *static*, *dynamic*, or *editorial data*. However, it must not contain any personal data or data subject to privacy regulations. As a general rule: **once open**, **always open**. Open data cannot be withdrawn or relicensed. ### What is a Knowledge Graph? Guests and congress decision-makers will increasingly search for information using **voice-based** methods. The **complexity** of a voice input is high because requests are often made in a specific context and depend on factors such as the weather, current location, personal preferences, and more. Due to the data architecture in the form of a network, different data can be **linked to one another**: tours with culinary offerings, hotels with meeting capacities, and events with mobility options, enabling complex data queries similar to those used in voice input. The extensive possibilities for using the data also **support applications based on artificial intelligence**. Through the standardized description of the data using schema.org and its storage in a network structure, both the data itself and the relationships between them become machine-readable. The data contained in the Knowledge Graph and sub-graphs can be accessed by Google as well as by other external actors such as mobility providers and text transformer models like ChatGPT. **Thus, access to the Knowledge Graph can be a decisive competitive advantage when choosing the next congress location or travel destination.** Characteristics of Open Data ---------------------------- - Open accessOpen access requires that the use of the data is permitted for any purpose, by any person or any group, without having to justify their actions. The information should be provided without physical or technical barriers via programmatic interfaces such as the **Open-Data-Finder** (). Through the **Open Data Finder**, external providers can pull open data from Leipzig via API (interface) or widget and display it through digital applications such as apps, PWAs, digital info terminals, or websites. A successful example of using open POI data via API is the of the City of Leipzig. - Free accessA free-of-charge access means that no **licence fees** or other compensation are required for using the data. In general, the work as a whole should preferably be available **via the internet**. The **free use** of the licensed work is enabled through appropriate licences – **Creative Commons**. Free-of-charge access contributes to the wide distribution of the data. - Free useThe terms of use for open data are governed by licenses. These include the unrestricted use, sharing, modification, linking, and refinement of the data. These licenses are necessary because every new work of intellectual creation is automatically protected by strict copyright from the moment it is created, without requiring a copyright notice or registration. **In practice, this means that using these works requires a contractual agreement between the creator and the user.** We are happy to support you with legally reviewed **sample contracts** that you can use as the contractual basis between you and your photographer. Feel free to contact us directly. - Creative Commons licensesThe nonprofit organization Creative Commons provides pre-formulated and modular license agreements for independent use by authors or rights holders. These are legally complete and properly formulated. This means that each individual user does not need to ask for permission to distribute the content or use it as a starting point for new creations. By granting Creative Commons licenses, the author has clearly and irrevocably defined how their creative works may be used. **Before publishing data under CC licenses, a prior review of the content is necessary.** Violating the copyright of producers or the image and personal rights of the individuals depicted can lead to legal and financial consequences. Additionally, data quality and technical availability are important criteria for publishing data with CC licenses. **The following checklist can help assess whether images are suitable for Open Data CC licenses:** - Are people shown in the photo? Are faces clearly recognizable, and is anyone looking directly into the camera? **–> Image not suitable** - Several people are shown at an event, but no individual stands out and the people are not clearly identifiable (e.g., due to blurring, a side or back view) **–> the image is eligible** - One or more people appear in the background of a landmark/landscape, but no individual stands out and the people are not clearly identifiable (e.g., due to blurring, a side or back view) **–> the image is eligible** - Does the image show **protected brands** or other recognizable trademarks (e.g., Facebook or Instagram icons), or names of hotels or restaurants? **–> Image not suitable** - Are **pets** shown in the image and clearly recognizable? **–> Not suitable**, as commercial use of these images is prohibited without the creator’s consent - Are other artworks or monuments visible in the image? **–> Additional copyright review necessary** - Are listed buildings visible in the image? **–> Additional copyright review necessary** to determine whether the photo was taken in a public space (freedom of panorama). Especially when other elements such as people, trees, or streets are visible, it can generally be assumed that freedom of panorama applies. - Does the image show objects of particular creative value (e.g., handmade pottery, designer clothing)? **–> Image not suitable**, as commercial use is prohibited without the creator’s consent. **In practice, it is sometimes difficult to determine whether an exception applies. For this reason, we generally recommend refraining from publishing images under CC licenses when people are clearly identifiable.** Images that have already been purchased or produced on commission can generally **be licensed under CC at a later time**. The requirements for this are: - The creator of the images and any rights holders are clearly identified. - Exclusive and comprehensive usage rights (unlimited in time, location, and content) exist for the images. - The creator and any additional rights holders provide written consent for publishing the data under CC licenses. However, this process can be quite time-consuming, especially when multiple rights holders are involved. **Therefore, it is always beneficial to purchase images already under CC licenses!** To help you purchase or retroactively license images under CC licenses, we provide **sample contracts** for the following licenses: - CC BY = Attribution - CC BY SA = “Share Alike” = Attribution, obligation to distribute under the same conditions - CC BY ND = “No Derivatives” = Attribution, modification of the work is not permitted **You would like to purchase images under CC licenses and need a contractual basis? Then please contact Jamina Mertz by email** (). - Machine readabilityAnother characteristic of Open Data is the use of a **machine-readable, open and non-proprietary data format**. Machine-readable data formats are those that can be further processed by a computer. Not all information captured in electronic form is automatically machine-readable; for example, a PDF file is easy for people to read, but remains difficult to access for automated reuse. Machine-readable, structured data play a crucial role for **search engines**. Thanks to standardised markup (**schema.org**), it is possible for machines to understand them directly. **Schema.org** can be understood as a language for data. When these schemas are used by all providers, data can be linked to each other. For hotels, for example, this means that basic information such as the address, geo-coordinates, number of rooms or star rating is available in a predefined structure. No matter whether the data is accessed via a search engine, Alexa or a digital information display – the machine understands the content and can output it independently of the application. **Leipzig Tourism and Marketing has already transferred a large share of tourism and convention data to the statewide data hub (SaTourN) and made it available under Open Data licences.** From there, the data is integrated into the Knowledge Graph of German tourism (DZT) as well as the subgraph for business tourism (GCB). There, it is widely accessible and available for reuse within a modern data architecture. Here you can check whether your organisation is already digitally equipped: Best practices for the Leipzig region ------------------------------------- First successful examples of delivering open and structured data include the **websites** of LTM GmbH, the progressive web app willkommen.leipzig.travel, as well as an interactive **city tour app** for Leipzig. Whether for business travel tourism via the congress portal do-it-at-leipzig.de, the tourism portals leipzig.travel and mulderadweg.de, or our digital info steles and screens in the tourist information center and at Leipzig Central Station – **the data is created once in SaTourN, structured, licensed** and delivered to the respective target group through the output channels. ### willkommen.leipzig.travel our progressive web app - - - ### Explore Leipzig App Explore Leipzig App - Digitalstrategie für Leipzig und Region Guests in Leipzig can use the **Explore Leipzig App** to discover the cultural and culinary highlights of the city center as well as selected attractions in four neighborhoods. For this purpose, **flexible and freely customizable discovery tours** have been developed. Users can choose between a **highlight tour**, a **grand tour through the city center**, a **family tour**, and **four alternative tours** through Leipzig’s trendy districts. All service-oriented information for the stops, such as addresses, opening hours, or images in the app, is provided via the **SaTourN data hub**. - - **External providers** and **Leipzig-based partners** have also recognised the **advantages of data management** and use an **open interface** to access relevant data. Thanks to the quality and maintenance within SaTourN, the content is automatically updated in the output channels. ### **Why should you participate?** - Greater reach and visibility for your business - Improved data quality through an implemented traffic light system - Automated distribution of the data across various channels, such as online platforms, info terminals, apps - Minimized maintenance effort through the principle “maintain once – publish everywhere” - Legal certainty when reusing data, such as images and videos (Creative Commons licensing) - Data basis for creating new innovative solutions for guests, such as digital guest cards, chatbots, and visitor flow management - Preparation of data for artificial intelligence applications, such as voice assistants and text transformer models (like ChatGPT) ### Have we sparked your interest? **Our goal is to strengthen the competitiveness of Leipzig and the region through open and structured data and to lead our destination – for tourism and conventions – into a successful future.** To achieve this, we need the best possible information about Leipzig and the region in the form of **high-quality, structured, and open** data. If your organisation can provide us with **master data**, **descriptive texts**, and **images with CC licences**, we look forward to hearing from you. We will provide you with a form for submitting data. We are also happy to support you in **purchasing CC-licensed images** by offering **sample contracts** or contacts to local **photographers**. Please feel free to contact us! Ansprechperson Digitales - Leipzig Tourismus und Marketing GmbH Jamina Mertz, Head of Digital Marketing - -