Session Overview: This session helps publishers understand the range of Open Data platforms available and introduces each platform through a hands-on publishing exercise.
Session number: 8
Expected participants: Data publishers, people working with data
Type: Training
Length: 2-3 hours
Exercises: Yes
Web based exercises: Yes
What to bring: Slides, Web-Connected Laptop
Session Flow:
- Understanding the purpose of platforms - The facilitator should lead participants through the purpose of Open Data platforms and explain how publishing to a platform can simplify and streamline the publication process. The Facilitator should also highlight the difference between having a standalone platform using a different URL and integrating the platform into the site presence of the organisation, explaining the relative merits of both approaches.
- Introducing the main platforms - The facilitator should introduce the three main Open Data platform solutions (CKAN, DKAN, EDP, Socrata and OpenDataSoft) to the participants and explain how the different features and commercial models make them suitable for different purposes.
- Exploring Open Data platforms - The participants will undertake directed exploration of the main Open Data platforms outlined above. The facilitator should set exploration goals based on the participant’s level of confidence and technical expertise. Example goals might be to publish a dataset, undertake a simple visualisation or identify and download different datasets.
Resources:
- CKAN Platform - Open source data catalogue with minimal features and simple interface
- Git Data Publisher - No-frills data publishing tool
- Socrata - High-performance commercial data platform with advanced visualisation tools
- OpenDataSoft - Middle-ground commercial platform with strong visualisation tools and catalogue features.
Companion eLearning Modules:
When running this session, we recommend that participants complete the following eLearning module before attending:
Getting to grips with Open Data platforms
Completion of the module will help your learners develop a shared understanding of the material before the course and allow you to focus in greater depth on those topics of most interest to the trainees.
