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.
There are a number of tools which are live on the web that are specifically designed to make data most discoverable.
The most prominent is CKAN.net. CKAN stands for the Comprehensive Knowledge Archive Network, and is a catalogue of all datasets in the world. The site makes it very easy for developers to find the material that they’re seeking.
In addition, there are dozens of specialist catalogues for different sectors and places. Many scientific communities have created a catalogue system for their fields, as data are often required for publication.
As it has emerged, orthodox practice is for a lead agency to create a catalogue for the government’s data. When establishing a catalogue, try to create some structure which many departments can keep their own information current easily.
Resist the urge to build the software to support the catalogue from scratch. There are many free and open source software solutions which have been adopted by many dozens of governments already. Investing in another platform will be a waste of resources.
There are a few things that most open data catalogues miss. Your programme could consider the following:
Be willing to create a supplementary catalogue 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 embarrasment 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 catalogue for community groups, businesses and others may be warranted.