What is a data portal?

This post is part of my ongoing series of basic questions about data, this time prompted by a tweet by Andy Dickinson asking the same question. There are lots of open data portals. OpenDataMonitor lists 161 in the EU alone. The numbers have grown rapidly over the last few years. Encouraged by exemplars such as data.gov.uk they're usually … Continue reading What is a data portal? →

“The woodcutter”, an open data parable

In a time long past, in a land far away, there was once a great forest. It was a huge sprawling forest containing every known species of tree. And perhaps a few more. The forest was part of a kingdom that had been ruled over by an old mad king for many years. The old king had refused … Continue reading “The woodcutter”, an open data parable →

Basic questions about data

Over the past couple of years I've written several posts that each focus on trying to answer a simple question relating to data and/or open data. I've collected them together into a list here for easier reference. I'll update the list as I write more related posts: What is a dataset? What is a dataset? … Continue reading Basic questions about data →

What is Derived Data?

A while ago I asked the question: "What is a Dataset?". The idea was to look at how different data communities were using the term to see if there were any common themes. This week I've been considering how UPRNs can be a part of open data, a question made more difficult due to complex licensing issues. One … Continue reading What is Derived Data? →

How and when can UPRNs be a part of open data?

I'm trying to understand when and how UPRNs can be a part of open data, whether published by councils or others organisations. I'm writing down what I understand in the hope that others might find this useful or might be able to correct any misunderstandings by leaving a comment. It'd be great to get some … Continue reading How and when can UPRNs be a part of open data? →

Data and information in the city

For a while now I've been in the habit of looking for data as I travel to work or around Bath. You can't really work with data and information systems for any length of time without becoming a little bit obsessive about numbers or becoming tuned into interesting little dashboards: https://twitter.com/ldodds/status/396261968077922304 My eye gets drawn … Continue reading Data and information in the city →

“The scribe and the djinn’s agreement”, an open data parable

In a time long past, in a land far away, there was once a great city. It was the greatest city in the land and the vast marketplace at its centre was the busiest, liveliest marketplace in the world. People of all nations could be found there buying and selling their wares. Indeed, the marketplace … Continue reading “The scribe and the djinn’s agreement”, an open data parable →

Open data and diabetes

In December my daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. It was a pretty rough time. Symptoms can start and escalate very quickly. Hyperglycaemia and ketoacidosis are no joke. But luckily we have one of the best health services in the world. We've had amazing care, help and support. And, while we're only 4 months … Continue reading Open data and diabetes →

What is an Open API?

I was reading a document this week that referred to an "Open API". It occurred to me that I hadn't really thought about what that term was supposed to mean before. Having looked at the API in question, it turned out it did not mean what I thought it meant. The definition of Open API on … Continue reading What is an Open API? →

Building the new Ordnance Survey Linked Data platform

Disclaimer: the following is my own perspective on the build & design of the Ordnance Survey Linked Data platform. I don't presume to speak for the OS and don't have any inside knowledge of their long term plans. Having said that I wanted to share some of the goals we (Julian Higman, Benjamin Nowack and … Continue reading Building the new Ordnance Survey Linked Data platform →