In a world where many of our digital spaces are becoming more closed than ever, open data is a concept that is rapidly on the rise.
In this talk we explore what open data is (and what it isn't), and why we should care about it. We'll look at how you can introduce it into your projects with regards to practical publication and consumption, and discuss some useful tools and reference points.
Open data isn't just dry and technical - it gives us great scope to be creative, and throughout this talk we'll go through some of the amazing things that it has been used for globally in the hope that it will inspire you to create something amazing yourself.
4. data(ˈdeɪtə ; ˈdɑːtə)
Plural noun
• a series of observations, measurements, or facts; information
• Also called: information (computing) the information operated on by a
computer program
Although now often used as a singular noun, data is properly a plural. From
Latin, literally: (things) given, from dare to give
http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/data
7. !
The Open Definition
!
The Open Definition sets out principles that define “openness” in relation to data
and content.
!
It makes precise the meaning of “open” in the terms “open data” and “open
content” and thereby ensures quality and encourages compatibility between
different pools of open material.
!
It can be summed up in the statement that:
!
“Open means anyone can freely access, use, modify, and share for any
purpose (subject, at most, to requirements that preserve provenance and
openness).”
!
Put most succinctly:
!
“Open data and content can be freely used, modified, and shared by anyone
for any purpose”
opendefinition.org
8. You must be able to easily acquire and use the data
for any purpose
@sjenkinson
9. You must be able to re-use and re-distribute the data,
including being able to mix it with other data sets
@sjenkinson
10. There should be no discrimination involved - for example data
shouldn’t be limited to ‘non-commercial’, or only for education
@sjenkinson
11. Data should be in a format that can be processed
and manipulated by a computer
@sjenkinson
51. !
“How far do you live from your workplace?
Chances are, you'd answer that question in
minutes rather than miles. An hour on the
bus tells us a lot more than 47 miles. That's
why we made Mapumental.
!
Given any start point or destination, it'll
show everywhere within the chosen
commute time, by public transport.
!
Mapumental Property narrows property
results down, only showing you houses that
fall within a decent commute time from the
places you visit regularly - like work, school,
or the shops.”
mapumental.com/services/travel-time
52. “How accessible is your nearest school, post office,
or GP’s surgery? In Wales, that’s not always a
simple question: the country’s mountainous
landscapes, rural populations, and sometimes
infrequent bus services can mean that those
without cars are rather cut off from public service
provision.”
mapumental.com/services/accessibility
53. “Just how quickly could fire engines reach a given
postcode in case of a fire? It’s a question that’s
pivotal to decisions made by both the emergency
services and the insurance industry.”
mysociety.org/2013/04/22/fire-fire-mapumental-and-fire-engine-journey-times
69. ★
Make your stuff available on the Web (whatever format)
under an open license.
★★
Make it available as structured data
(e.g., Excel instead of image scan of a table).
★★★ Use non-proprietary formats (e.g., CSV instead of Excel).
★★★★
Use URIs to denote things, so that people can point at your
stuff.
★★★★★ Link your data to other data to provide context.
87. “Air Transformed is a series of wearable data
objects that communicate this physical burden in
different ways. Though seemingly decorative, they
are based entirely on open air quality data from
Sheffield, UK, a former steelmaking city and
notorious for its bad air.”
stefanieposavec.co.uk/data/#/airtransformed
92. @sjenkinson
!
sally@recordssoundthesame.com
recordssoundthesame.com
THANK YOU.
Thank you to these lovely people for making their content open under a
Creative Commons or public licence:
Linking Open Data cloud diagram 2014, by Max Schmachtenberg, Christian Bizer, Anja Jentzsch and
Richard Cyganiak - lod-cloud.net
DougMcCune - dougmccune.com
stefanieposavec.co.uk
flickr.com/photos/rachubarama/2709346242
tylervigen.com/spurious-correlations
xkcd.com/1138
flickr.com/photos/troymars/9113025616
flickr.com/photos/mompl/5289524029
flickr.com/photos/stray_croc/4743302841
flickr.com/photos/epleitez/1714341218
flickr.com/photos/mikephotoart/12839909303
flickr.com/photos/kalexanderson/7175627336
flickr.com/photos/gertcha/8292978031
https://www.flickr.com/photos/86979666@N00/8692704103/