Rendre les données détectable

Open data is nothing without users. You need to be able to make sure that people can find the source material. This section will cover different approaches.

The most important thing is to provide a neutral space which can overcome both inter-agency politics and future budget cycles. Jurisdictional borders, whether sectorial or geographical, can make cooperation difficult. However, there are significant benefits in joining forces. The easier it is for outsiders to discover data, the faster new and useful tools will be built.

Outils existants

Il y a un certain nombre d’outils sur présent sur le web spécifiquement conçus pour rendre les données plus détectable.

One of the most prominent is the DataHub and is a catalog and data store for datasets from around the world. The site makes it easy for individuals and organizations to publish material and for data users to find material they need.

En outre, il y a des dizaines de catalogues spécialisés pour les différents secteurs et les lieux. De nombreuses communautés scientifiques ont créé un système de catalogue de leurs spécialités, car les données sont souvent nécessaires pour la publication.

Pour le gouvernement

As it has emerged, orthodox practice is for a lead agency to create a catalog for the government’s data. When establishing a catalog, try to create some structure which allows many departments to easily keep their own information current.

Resist the urge to build the software to support the catalog from scratch. There are free and open source software solutions (such as CKAN) which have been adopted by many governments already. As such, investing in another platform may not be needed.

Il y a plusieurs choses manquantes dans la plupart des catalogues de données ouvertes. Votre programme pourrait tenir compte de ce qui suit:

  • Fournir un moyen pour permettre aux secteurs privé et communautaire d’ajouter leurs données. Il peut être utile de penser du catalogue comme un catalogue de la région, plutôt que celui du gouvernement régional.
  • Facilitating improvement of the data by allowing derivatives of datasets to be cataloged. For example, someone may geocode addresses and may wish to share those results with everybody. If you only allow single versions of datasets, these improvements remain hidden.
  • Be tolerant of your data appearing elsewhere. That is, content is likely to be duplicated to communities of interest. If you have river level monitoring data available, then your data may appear in a catalog for hydrologists.
  • Ensure that access is equitable. Try to avoid creating a privileged level of access for officials or tenured researchers as this will undermine community participation and engagement.

Pour la société civile

Be willing to create a supplementary catalog for non-official data.

It is very rare for governments to associate with unofficial or non-authoritative sources. Officials have often gone to great expense to ensure that there will not be political embarrassment or other harm caused from misuse or overreliance on data.

Moreover, governments are unlikely to be willing to support activities that mesh their information with information from businesses. Governments are rightfully skeptical of profit motives. Therefore, an independent catalog for community groups, businesses and others may be warranted.