Data is infrastructure, so it needs a design manual

Data is like roads. Roads help us navigate to a destination. Data helps us navigate to a decision. I like that metaphor. It helps to highlight the increasingly important role that data plays in modern society and business. Roads help us travel to work and school. They also support a variety of different business uses. … Continue reading Data is infrastructure, so it needs a design manual →

Lunchtime Lecture: “How you (yes, you) can contribute to open data”

The following is a written version of the lunchtime lecture I gave today at the Open Data Institute. I'll put in a link to the video when it comes online. It's not a transcript, I'm just writing down what I had planned to say. https://www.slideshare.net/ldodds/how-you-yes-you-can-contribute-to-open-data Hello! I'm going to talk today about some of the … Continue reading Lunchtime Lecture: “How you (yes, you) can contribute to open data” →

Where can you contribute to open data? Yes, you!

This is just a quick post to gather together some pointers and links that were shared in answer to a question I asked on twitter yesterday: https://twitter.com/ldodds/status/867295476151980032 I want to try out a bunch of different services to explore how easy it is for people to contribute to open data project. Because I'm interested in … Continue reading Where can you contribute to open data? Yes, you! →

Can you publish tweets as open data?

Can you publish data from twitter as open data? The short answer is: No. Read on for some notes, pointers and comments. Twitter's developer policy places a number of restrictions on your use of their API and the data you get from it. Some of the key ones are: In the Restrictions on Use of … Continue reading Can you publish tweets as open data? →

Enabling data forensics

I'm interested in how people share information, particularly data, on social networks. I think it's something to which it's worth paying attention, so we can ensure that it's easy for people to share insights and engage in online debates. There's lots of discussion at the moment around fact checking and similar ways that we can improve … Continue reading Enabling data forensics →

Adventures in geodata

I spend a lot of my professional life giving people advice. Mostly around how to publish and use open data. In order to make sure I give people the best advice I can, I try and spend a lot of time actually publishing and using open data. A mixture of research and practical work is the best way … Continue reading Adventures in geodata →

The limitations of the open banking licence

The Open Banking initiative recently began to publicly publish specifications, guidance and data through its website. If you're not already aware of the initiative, it was created as a direct result of government reforms that aim to encourage the banking sector to be more open and innovative. The CMA undertook a lengthy consultation period during which the … Continue reading The limitations of the open banking licence →

What is data asymmetry?

You've just parked your car. Google Maps offers to record your current location so you can find where you parked your car. It also lets you note how much parking time you have available. Sharing this data allows Google Maps to provide you with a small but valuable service: you can quickly find your car and avoid having … Continue reading What is data asymmetry? →

Fearful about personal data, a personal example

I was recently at a workshop on making better use of (personal) data for the benefit of specific communities. The discussion, perhaps inevitably, ended up focusing on many of the attendees concerns around how data about them was being used. The group was asked to share what made them afraid or fearful about how personal data … Continue reading Fearful about personal data, a personal example →

Some tips for open data ecosystem mapping

At Open Data Camp last month I pitched to run a session on mapping open data ecosystems. Happily quite a few people were interested in the topic, so we got together to try out the process and discuss the ideas. We ended up running the session according to my outline and a handout I'd prepared to … Continue reading Some tips for open data ecosystem mapping →