I've been in a reflective mood over the past few weeks as I wrap up my time at the Open Data Institute. One of the little rituals I will miss is the "Saybox". I thought I'd briefly write it up and explain why I like it. I can't remember who originally introduced the idea. It's … Continue reading The Saybox →

To help me wrap up my time at the ODI I asked the team for suggestions for things I could add to my list of handover documentation. Amongst the suggestions that came back was: "Maybe also a poem about why standards are the best thing on Earth?" So, with a nod to the meme and apologies to … Continue reading A poem about standards →

I was very pleased to announce my new TV series today, loosely based on real events. More details here in the official press release. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Coming to all major streaming services in 2021 will be the exciting new series: "Turning the Tables". Exploring the murky corporate world of poorly formatted spreadsheets and nefarious … Continue reading Consulting Spreadsheet Detective, Season 1 →

I love a good standard. I've written about them a lot here. As its #WorldStandardsDay I thought I'd write a quick post to share something that I've learned from leading and supporting some standards work. I've already shared this with a number of people who have asked for advice on standards work, and in some … Continue reading Tip for improving standards documentation →

For the purposes of having something to point to in future, here's a list of different meanings of "open" that I've encountered. XYZ is "open" because: It's on the web It's free to use It's published under an open licence It's published under a custom licence, which limits some types of use (usually commercial, often everything except … Continue reading “Open” →

Originally published on the Open Data Institute blog. Original URL: https://theodi.org/blog/building-best-practices-for-sharing-public-sector-data At the ODI we’re big fans of capturing best practices and simple design patterns to help guide people towards the most effective ways to publish data. By breaking down complex technical and organisational challenges into smaller steps, we can identify common problems across sectors and … Continue reading Building best practices for publish sector data →

Originally published on the Open Data Institute blog. Original URL: https://theodi.org/blog/how-to-open-your-data-in-six-easy-steps 1. Scope out the job at hand Before taking the plunge and jumping straight into publishing, there are a few things to think through first. Take time to consider what data you’re going to release, what it contains and what the business case is for … Continue reading How to open your data in six easy steps →

Today I am 101100. That's XLIV in Roman. 44 is also the square root of 1936. 1936 was a leap year starting on a Wednesday. The Year 44 was also a leap year starting on a Wednesday. It was also known as the Year of the Consulship of Crispus and Taurus. Which is another coincidence because I like … Continue reading 101100 →