Linking data in Ireland and beyond

November 2018

eoin.mccuirc@cso.ie (021) 4535504

Overview

• M&M metaphor, data for informed decisions

• Linking open data, what does it mean?

• ESSnet Linked Open Statistical Data

• Putting the citizen in the centre

What is Open Data?

Open data is data that can be freely used, re-used and redistributed by

anyone - subject only, at most, to the requirement to attribute and

sharealike.

Open Data Handbook

Linking open data – seeing stars

★ make your stuff available on the web (whatever format)

★★ make it available as structured data (e.g. excel instead of image scan of a table)

★★★ non-proprietary format (e.g. csv instead of excel)

★★★★ use URLs to identify things, so that people can point at your stuff

★★★★★ link your data to other people’s data to provide context

Dublin 300,000,000 hits

European Statistical Code of Practicehttps://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/4031688/8971242/KS-02-18-142-EN-N.pdf/e7f85f07-91db-4312-8118-f729c75878c7

• Principle 14 Coherence and Comparability - European Statistics are consistent internally, over time and comparable between regions and countries; it is possible to combine and make joint use of related data from different data sources.

• Principle 15 Accessibility and Clarity - European Statistics are presented in a clear and understandable form, released in a suitable and convenient manner, available and accessible on an impartial basis with supporting metadata and guidance

Ireland – most Open Data mature 2017https://www.europeandataportal.eu/sites/default/files/maturity-2017-1.png

What is an ESSnet?• ESS (European Statistical System) Network (Grant agreement no. 11102.2017.001-2017.661 - €619,696.32)

• Four NSIs Bulgaria (Project Coordinator), France, Ireland, Italy collaborating on an ESSnet on Linked Open Statistical Data (LOSD)

• Subcontracting work to industry and academic experts in France and Ireland (Consortium of Derilinx, Adapt Centre (TCD), Insight Institute (NUIG))

• Objectives of ESSnet

• To explore NSIs publishing statistical data as LOSD on the semantic web

• To allow citizens to engage with statistical data easily as linked open data

• To prepare NSIs in the wider ESS to publish LOSD

• To recommend a way forward for the ESS to adopt and exploit LOSD

• Launched November 2017, initial LOSD published April and October 2018, final deliverables in April 2019

Outline of Work Packages• WP0 - Project Coordination, Bulgaria NSI

• WP1 – LOSD Pilots, user assessments and recommendations on horizontal topics, CSO Ireland

• Set up LOSD platform

• LOSD pilots, publishing LOSD for four separate domains

• Use cases for LOSD and user assessment of the LOSD solutions provided

• Recommendations for the future of LOSD in ESS and lessons learned

• WP2 - ESS Networking, Cooperation and Capacity Building, Insee France

• Dissemination of outputs from the ESSnet

• Set up a cooperation and collaboration platform for LOSD

• Organise capacity building materials and webinars

Overview of elements of ESSnet LOS • Agile - initially linking one Census dataset then expanding further

• Link data locally, nationally and internationally incorporating non statistical datasets e.g. spatial, local government

• Each NSI hosts their own single source of RDF data

• NSI links RDF datasets to the European Data Portal (EDP) through their national data portals

• Data analyst accesses LOSD through a cloud based tool pulling from EDP

• Access to LOSD Open Cube toolkit (openly licensed LOSD, open source tools, freely available, cloud based)

• NSI data analysts can access and create cross domain products and services e.g. linking statistical, spatial and local government datasets for an easy to use citizen friendly view

• Capacity building in ESS once proven model is created

What’s in it for the European Statistical System(ESS)?

• An opportunity for the ESS to work together to be a global thought leader in this field

• An opportunity to create innovative products and services for European citizens

• An opportunity for ESS NSIs to work together to link European open data locally, nationally and internationally

• An opportunity to build on the foundations of linked open data in Europe

• An opportunity to link European local government data, spatial data, statistical data and other European open data sources to create the European semantic web

What’s in it for Open Data in Ireland?• An opportunity for Ireland to continue to be a global thought leader in this field

• An opportunity to create innovative products and services for the Irish citizen

• An opportunity for the consortium of Derilinx, Adapt Centre (TCD), Insight Institute (NUIG) to work together within an Irish and European context to link Irish open data locally, nationally and internationally

• An opportunity to build on the foundations of linked open data in Ireland

• An opportunity to link Irish local government data, spatial data, statistical data and other Irish open data sources to create an Irish semantic web

Putting the citizen in the centre

Putting the citizen in the centre

Statbank table

Visualisation Tool

…in 1 Day

…in 1 Year

National Data Profile Wireframe

Takeaways – are you the missing link

• Please publish your data freely available as open data, in open data formats, under an open data license (CC 4.0)

• Please, please publish your data using standard classifications and geographies so your data can link to and enrich other data sources (common URIs)

• Please, please, please add your datasets to Ireland’s open data portal https://data.gov.ie/ to allow (machine) discoverability (CKAN/DCAT data catalogues)