How to choose the right open data platform for you

David Tarrant [email protected] @davetaz

Publishing Open Data

Provide an overview of current open data publishing practices.

Aim

Understand the dierence between data on the web and the web of dataEvaluate a number of dierent approaches for publishing open data.Develop a strategy for publishing data applicable to a specific domain.

Outcomes

Publication phases

Phase 1: Get the data online, in some form. This will help with the trust and transparency and community building.

Phase 2: Increase the usability of the data by potentially publishing dierently and keeping it up to date.

Data ON the web Government data Private sector data

Google advanced

Aggregators and portals Scraping

data.gov.XX

Government

Government / Private

?

Suppliers

BP: You may not frame this site nor link to a page other than the home page without our express permission. To nd this Google bp sta's'cal review

X

Suppliers

h@p://manufacturingmap.nikeinc.com/#

You agree not to change or delete any ownership noDces from materials downloaded or printed from the PlaEorm. You agree not to modify, copy, translate, broadcast, perform, display, distribute, frame, reproduce, republish, download, display, post, transmit or sell

any Intellectual Property or Content appearing on the PlaEorm

X

Aggregators and portalsCollect together data from across the web into one place.

enigma.io transportAPI

Data IN the web

The developers secret

Linked data Amazing but hard to publishing and use.

ON the web

IN the web

Approaches to publishing data

Exercise

List 3 datasets that have been published ON the web (& where)?

List 1 that has been published IN the web (& where)?5 minutes

Open Data Platforms

h@p://www.ickr.com/photos/wwarby

TypesSpecialist Solu'on Integrated Solu'on

+ Easy to get setup and maintain. + Open Data focused + Clear workows for publishing open data + VisualisaDon tools + Data mashing tools + Best for transacDonal data

+ No new plaEorm to learn + Data is provided in parallel to web pages + No separaDon from authoritaDve data + Easy discovery of data + Best for reference data + Best for Linked Open Data

Key characteristics of specialist solution

1. Separate from your main org website

2. Designed to publish open data, not to fulfill other organisation goals

Key characteristics of integrated solution

1. It is your main website

2. Publishes data alongside everything else that the organisation does

Merging specialist and integrated

Method 1: Build the functionality of your current website into a new open data platform.

Method 2: Hide the specialist solution behind your main website and use it as a loosely coupled CMS.

The sliding scale of specialist solutions

1. Catalogue: Point to data (leave it at source)2. Re-present: Provide data services (leave it at source)3. Host the data: Be the source4. Control the data: Be the authority5. Be the hub: Host the data and processor

12345

Specialist Solutions

h@p://www.ickr.com/photos/okfn

12

23

45

Open Knowledge Foundation Supported

Data CatalogueOpen Source

Feels like a record managerSimple API and search

Lots of community tools

http://demo.ckan.org/

12

Updated July 2014Early) Dataset catalogue (data.gov.uk)

no data hosted or searchedMid) Data and dataset catalogue

no data hosted but it is searchableNow) Integrated data driven web site

data platform is integrated with data, search and content

Evolution of CKAN 12

Features

Publish, Store and Manage Data and MetadataVisual and GeospatialSocialFull Stored HistoryFederate Your Data With Other OrganizationsRich RESTful JSON API for Developers

1 2

Open Data Soft

23

Open Data Soft

Data as a Service (DaaS)Hosted enterprise solution

Rich InterfaceQuery based API (3-Star)

23

Open Data Soft

23

Open Data Soft

Data as a Service (DaaS)Hosted enterprise solution

Rich InterfaceQuery based API (3-Star)

Closed Source (main product)EU Based

23

Data as a Service (DaaS)Hosted enterprise solution

Allows user created contentFull linked API (5-Star)

https://opendata.socrata.com/

45

FeaturesData Publishing, Optimized for Business UsersFlexible Metadata ManagementFederate Your Data With Other OrganizationsMetrics of the Success of Your Initiative in Real-timeAnyone Can Create Maps and ChartsData Becomes SocialDevelopers Are Supported Every Step of the Way

45

Data as a Service (DaaS)Hosted SolutionClean Interface

Powerful API (SODA)

Closed Source (main product)US Based

45

The sliding scale of specialist solutions

1. Catalogue: Point to data (leave it at source)2. Re-present: Provide data services (leave it at source)3. Host the data: Be the source4. Control the data: Be the authority5. Be the hub: Host the data and processor

12345

Specialist Solutions

h@p://www.ickr.com/photos/okfn

12

23

45

Integrated solutions

Integrated solutions expose data using the current infrastructure (web pages).

Data driven web site

Best for reference and live data

The developers secret

Linked data Amazing but hard to publishing and use.

RecapSpecialist Solu'on Integrated Solu'on

+ Easy to get setup and maintain. + Open Data focused + Clear workows for publishing open data + VisualisaDon tools + Data mashing tools + Best for transacDonal data

+ No new plaEorm to learn + Data is provided in parallel to web pages + No separaDon from authoritaDve data + Easy discovery of data + Best for reference data + Best for Linked Open Data

Both great for open data

Integrated solutions more suited for building a web of linked data

ExerciseTake a look at the following portals and list 3 things you like and 3 things you would improve about each:

CKAN (http://data.gov.uk)

Open Data Soft (http://public.opendatasoft.com/)

Socrata (http://data.cityofchicago.org/)

Understand the dierence between data on the web and the web of dataEvaluate a number of dierent approaches for publishing open data.Develop a strategy for publishing data applicable to a specific domain.

Outcomes

Which strategy do you feel best suits your domain and why?

Exercise

David Tarrant [email protected] @davetaz

Thank-You