DOMAIN KNOWLEDGE

DOMAIN KNOWLEDGE

What is a data catalog?

When we say that we are building a data catalog, what we mean is we are building a space where sources of open data can be curated and accessed by users. In an enterprise setting, a data catalog is used to search metadata within an organization. With Access the Data, however, we want users to be able to find whatever data they need to better understand how policy is made and to get the support they need to partake in the process of local policy-making.

What is CKAN?

CKAN is an open source application for building data catalogs. Technically, it is a database management system (DMS), but it has been created as a tool for governments to use, rather than enterprises. Here are some examples of CKAN sites that we have been using as models as we build Access the Data (AtD):

data.gov
openAFRICA
opendata.swiss

Spend some time with these sites, play around and try out their search features.