"The success of these largely independent initiatives does, however, raise a question: should they continue to be pursued separately, allowing the individuals involved to get on with it, or is there a case for greater coordination as part of wider institutional strategy? The answer to this question lies partly in what the different initiatives have in common."
one of the most important aspects -- in my opinion -- of the Open Badges project is that it is "open." The infrastructure is open (anyone can become an issuer). The technology is open (open source). And users control their own data.