Open principles. A personal favorite of mine. Why? Because they make it possible for you and me, and people like Isaac Newton to excel: “If I have seen farther than most men it is because I stood on the shoulders of giants”.
Sharing data, source code, architecture, background, makes it possible for others to pick up where you left off, to take your info and make it more. It speeds up learning, and increases the expanse of its positive impact. Adhering to open principles is recognizing that together we are more than the sum of the individual parts.
This is why I am especially excited that one of my team members is leading a project together with Social Geography staff and students in Open Street Maps. It’s mirrored on this initiative which displays how a street has changed over time.