Open Data Research
at the ODI
Tom Heath tom.heath@theodi.org @tommyh
You can access the slides at http://theodi.github.io/presentations/2013-06-research-councils-uk.html.
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Research at the ODI
- very new, still forming
- building capability at the ODI
- forging strong collaborations in the UK and overseas
Current Research
- what are the best practices for publishing big (open) data?
- how are data sets currently described on the Web?
- how can we best extract (and aggregate) these descriptions?
- (open data certificates as a driver)
Tabular Data on the Web
the problems
- Excel is too flexible
- CSV lacks metadata
- RDF formats are too verbose
Tabular Data on the Web
the proposals
- Google's Dataset Publishing Language (DSPL)
- zip of CSVs + XML metadata
- OKFN's Simple Data Format (SDF)
- zip of CSVs + JSON metadata
- Jeni's Linked CSV
- conventions for embedding metadata in CSV
- schema.org approach
- HTML page with embedded markup describing CSVs
Tabular Data on the Web
Linked CSV Browser - Data
Tabular Data on the Web
Linked CSV Browser - Metadata
Data Ecosystem
How do licensing choices affect the data ecosystem?
What kind of licence is best for government to choose?
Data Ecosystem
Simulation with D3
Upcoming
Research Projects
- monitoring and analytics for open data deployment across Europe
- radically simplifying the consumption of open data by small businesses
The Big Picture
- the mechanics of open data
- the impact of open data
- the web of open data
The Mechanics of
Open Data
- provenance: collection protocol, documentation, granularity, post-processing?
- licensing: adequacy of licensing regime? combining licenses? specifics of derivation? mechanics of expression?
- versioning: conceptual models of versioning? infrastructure?
- dataset description: how to convey these features (for potentially small fragments)?
The Impact of Open Data
- data ecosystems: what impact of open licensing?
- structural business and economic barriers to uptake of open data?
- qualitative stories of impact
The Web of Open Data
- data discovery
- profiling and indexing
- relevance and filtering
- integration
- dynamic interfaces
Modes of Engagement
- MSc Projects
- Internships
- Research Project Proposals
Questions?
Tom Heath tom.heath@theodi.org @tommyh
