(A) study of coproduction for information sharing during COVID-19

Abstract

As COVID-19 brought an unprecedented public health crisis to the global community, information sharing has become more critical. In this context, not only the government but also citizens actively develop services for information sharing. This study explores South Korea’s COVID-19 responses driven by Information Communication Technology as an example, particularly focusing on the Corona Map and the Mask Map which are web-based map services developed by the citizens. The process of the web-based maps development from the civil society and its influence on the government’s policymaking is analyzed by frameworks on Open Government Data and Coproduction. The study presents a comprehensive understanding of the role of information sharing channels under COVID-19 through citizen-developed web-based map services, the role of data prosumers performed by South Korean citizens, and open data for citizen-government policy coproduction. The study examines the Corona Map as an empirical case of coproduction that caused the Korean government to collaborate with citizens on the Mask Map project. In this regard, the study underlines the importance of citizens’ participation and open data, which enable coproduction by the government and citizens.