This document discusses RESTful publishing of open data. It advocates making data available on the web in open formats like CSV instead of closed formats like Excel. It promotes identifying data using URIs and outputting data in RDF format with basic ontologies to add semantics. The document also describes a data adapter called The DataTank that was released on GitHub to improve accessibility of open data on the web.

1. Follow the stars
RESTful publishing of high
level Open Data
Miel Vander Sande (Ghent University – IBBT - MultimediaLab)
Pieter Colpaert (iRail NPO)

2. make your stuff available on the web (whatever format)
Missionary work
Spreading awareness

3. make your stuff available on the web (whatever format)
Organising events
Bringing data owners
& consumers together

4. Structure your data (e.g. excel instead of image scan of a table)
Good example
Open data in Vienna

5. Structure your data (e.g. excel instead of image scan of a table)
But…
we can always do better
Semantics Direct access for Apps
Business intelligence
More formats Versioning Community contact
Feedback Automatic documentation

6. Structure your data (e.g. excel instead of image scan of a table)
But…
with minimal effort
for the data owner

7. A data adapter
Improving the web’s serendipity
Distributed RESTful PHP 5.3

8. Non-proprietary format (e.g. csv instead of excel)
Versioning One PUT request Feedback

9. Non-proprietary format (e.g. csv instead of excel)
Business intelligence
Automatic
documentation

10. Use URI to identify, output RDF
Web of things ready
Identifying real world objects
http://datatank.demo.ibbt.be/vienna/libraries
VS
http://datatank.demo.ibbt.be/vienna/libraries.json

11. Use URI to identify, output RDF
Elaborating your data
Adding semantics
RDF Serialising
With optional basic ontology…
Automatic enrichment
Ontology mapping
Ontology sharing

12. First stable release
The 5th of December

13. Feeling adventurous?
Fork us on Github!
https://github.com/iRail/The-DataTank

14. Questions?
Feel free to contact us:
pieter@thedatatank.com @pietercolpaert
miel.vandersande@ugent.be @miel_vds

15. Credits
• ePublicist on flickr
• detritus. Blog
• yellow stars by christmasstockimages.com