To develop the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region into a center for international cultural and artistic exchange and to promote high-quality development, the first crucial step is establishing a cultural big data system. Using big data to drive development and innovation is essential. But what exactly is cultural big data? It encompasses several key aspects:

First, a big data system on cultural and arts space is necessary infrastructure for Hong Kong to leverage and integrate its resources. The HKSAR should take a leaf out of the book of sister cities in the Guangzhou-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, especially the digitally savvy city governments of Shenzhen and Guangzhou.

Major cities such as New York, London, Tokyo, and Shanghai have already compiled their cultural data, detailing the number and types of cultural spaces, including libraries, museums, art galleries, performance venues, and artist studios. This dataset includes not only the quantity but also the characteristics of these spaces — their size, infrastructure, facilities, and digital capabilities.

Cultural space data reflects a city’s capacity for cultural innovation, as culture requires spaces for creation, exhibition, and storage to foster a healthy developmental ecosystem. The main challenge faced by the city is its relatively small size, and without cultural space data, the HKSAR government cannot accurately assess the current situation, making systematic cultural and artistic development difficult.

In recent years, Shanghai has actively promoted the construction of museums and established a museum policy. This initiative has led to the emergence of various types of museums and art spaces, forming a valuable cultural tourism resource. In Hong Kong, most public museums fall under the jurisdiction of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. These institutions could be better aligned with high-quality development strategies.

To build Hong Kong’s cultural space database, the Lands Department, Census and Statistics Department, and the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau need to collaborate. With comprehensive cultural space data, development indicators can be defined — identifying gaps, determining the types of spaces needed, and setting precise objectives for future growth.

Organizations such as the Urban Renewal Authority, MTR Corp, and the Hong Kong Housing Authority and Housing Department should incorporate cultural space data into their district planning, ensuring that every district has designated cultural infrastructure targets for systematic, scientific planning and implementation.

Shanghai has been actively expanding its cultural spaces at a rapid pace. This cultural infrastructure serves as the foundation for a thriving artistic ecosystem. The development of culture is inseparable from land and spatial resources, and Hong Kong can collaborate with Shenzhen, leveraging its technological capabilities to support its cultural big data initiatives.

Second, cultural education data provide a foundation for the sustainable development in the industry of culture and recreation. Beyond physical space, the second critical aspect of cultural big data lies in big data literacy. Cultural education data must encompass both quantitative and qualitative metrics at primary and secondary school levels. Before discussing quality, data on educational capacity must be established with urgency as it concerns the city’s future.

For example, when Shanghai planned its museum expansion, it first defined quantitative targets, followed by qualitative benchmarks that classified museums based on category, public or private ownership, and scale.

The primary and secondary schools in major cities in the Chinese mainland have a substantial curriculum in data literacy, making it one of the fastest developing sectors in the education circle, both in terms of staff and funding.

Overall, the HKSAR government could require developers to integrate cultural spaces into property developments, instead of focusing solely on commercial malls. Over the next few years, Shenzhen will construct numerous cultural venues and spaces to strengthen its cultural soft power within the Greater Bay Area. The first and foremost task is to gain a clear understanding of the current situation. Establishing a cultural big data system is the foundational step toward expanding cultural spaces and driving innovation in Hong Kong’s arts and creative industry.

The author is a member of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies and artistic director of Zuni Icosahedron.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.