Open Data is dear to my heart. It is the idea that raw data should be public published, free of restrictions, and in a form that is most usable for others. When people talk about Open Data, they usually mean "Data that has been paid for by tax-payers" - often data created or collected by Government agencies. But it also extends to the data used by researchers, scientists, economists and any…
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(This post written partly to tease my delightful colleague Charles, but also as a way of thinking about user needs.) During a recent Open Data Café, one of the guests made an entirely reasonable point. An API only method of getting data is elitist. Martine Wauben@MHWaubenAlready having my assumptions tested - are APIs elitist? food for thought for me #ODCafe❤️ 2💬 0🔁 011:44 - Sat 10 April 2021 I…
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For the last year-and-a-bit, Liz and I have been running OpenBenches.org. An open data website dedicated to memorial benches. Here are some rough and ready numbers about how it has gone so far. 9,870 Benches At the time of writing, we're a little shy of 10,000 benches. As you can see, we have photos from all around the world. 9,000 UK Benches The majority of our benches are in the UK. …
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Last week I took an all-too-short visit to Aberdeen for Open Data Camp 6. A two-day unconference looking at Open Data from an international perspective. What works, what doesn't, how we can do better, and what exciting things are coming up. I was mostly there for work - but managed to spend some time talking about our personal project OpenBenches. Here's a brief run down of what I loved, and…
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I rate every pint I taste using the Untappd app. Think of it like TripAdvisor for lager, stout, cider, bitter, and all manner of other beery goodness. Seriously, I've reviewed over 600 different drinks Recently, I decided to see if I could self-host my beer check-ins. The first step - extracting my own data from Untappd. Pay To Play If you become an Untappd Supporter for US$5 per month, you…
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One of the sessions I lead at Open Data Camp was "Open Data Horror Stories" - we talked about some of the disasters we've had when requesting or using Open Data. This lead on to a session ran by Gaia Marcus on how to create the "perfect" FOI request. This is not an exhaustive guide to making FOI requests. I strongly suggest that you read WhatDoTheyKnow's recommendations and FOI Man's Top Ten …
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(Inspired by a session at Open Data Camp called "Open Data Horror Stories") I was having an argument spirited discussion with my friend John the other day. He was sympathising with Tony Blair's regrets over the introduction of the Freedom of Information Act. Apparently, FOI requests put too great a strain on departments and government bodies. Not only is there a huge cost of compliance, but…
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