Insights into one of the high value data domains Not all Open Data has the same potential for reuse. The European Data Portal provides thirteen data categories of which certain data categories are more frequently reused than others. On a European level, the European Commission has identified five thematic data domains that are expected to represent those with the highest demand from reusers across the EU: geospatial data, earth observation data and environment, transport data, statistics and company data. This article will delve into the second thematic data domain: environment data

The rise in the number of Chief Data Officers emphasises the growing importance of data. But what skills are really needed to work with Open Data? What so-called e-skills? Interviews were held with people with different backgrounds to discuss whether only technical skills are required to work with Open Data and explore what other skills matter. Are companies still chasing "Open Data unicorns", people with well-developed skills in different disciplines that are very difficult to find? Do data scientists know all there is to know about everything? Are they the only ones suitable for the job? To

The long awaited open source code of the European Data Portal version 1 is now available on GitLab. The accompanying documentation provides a comprehensive overview of all the different components of the portal, guidelines and installation manuals. Important note: Only the source code for the updated or modified open source components is provided. There are no installers / installation programmes included here. The reader should refer to the standard installation process for each open source component, as published on GitLab. Here is a short overview of the components that are available. CKAN

Throughout Europe, more and more Open Data is available for re-use. A number of studies have raised expectations with regards to the financial benefits of Open Data, however very little is known about how companies transform data into value. With a better understanding of the re-use of Open Data, both data providers and re-users could instigate a virtuous circle to leverage Open Data further. To support the transformation of Open Data into value, the European Data Portal explores the re-use of Open Data. Following studies on the economic benefits of Open Data and the maturity of Open Data

In total there are currently 582,937 data sets on the European Data Portal. To find your way in this tremendous amount, there are 13 different data domains in which the data sets are divided. In order to make this mapping, the metadata - information about the data - contains information about data domains. Approximately 70% of the data sets are mapped to the data domains of the DCAT-Application Profile, used as a basis for clustering on the EDP. In the table below the number of data sets per domain, can be found. The Justice, legal system and public safety domain contains the most data sets

In most European countries, the holiday season is about to start. For many people this is also the time of the year they will travel abroad and discover new places. When travelling abroad it might require you to speak another language than your mother tongue. Which country in Europe would be able to speak most foreign languages? The European Union publishes Open Data for each country on how many different languages are learned per pupil in secondary education, both at lower and upper level (ISCED level 2 and ISCED level 3, read more about the levels here). The number is obtained by dividing

Open Data can be found in various fields or be illustrated in numerous ways. This allows people to get acquainted with sets which have never been explored or for people already familiar with a certain topic, to see if the set fits their needs. An example of "did-you-know-this-is-open-data", are the naval (or maritime) facilities at the coast of Ireland which is visualised in the figure below. The yellow dots are lighthouses, the purple ones are fishing ports and the little yellow encircled boats are the ferry ports. The data of this map can be found here. The colour palette below is the city

Blockchains, cryptocurrencies and distributed ledger technologies: many things have been said (positive as well as negative) about this emerging technology. A wild bunch of ideas has been brought forward and blockchains are said to have disruptive potential in a wide range of industries such as banking, logistics and public services. But how does this relate to Open Data? A quick internet search will reveal that little research has been done on this matter. It becomes relevant therefore to look at the core characteristics of blockchains and how Blockchain and Open Data could complement each

The latest EDP report on Open Data maturity reveals that governments across Europe have not only prioritised Open Data more strongly in 2017, but are actually engaging in a race to the top. Having measured the level of Open Data maturity across Europe for 3 consecutive years, it has become clear that EU countries have made considerable efforts to improve their publishing of Open Data. European countries have been assessed both in terms of Open Data Readiness, assessing the span of their Open Data policies, and in terms of Open Data portal maturity. In general, EU countries score 72% in terms

Looking for some fresh air? This might be a challenge, depending on your city of residence. Multiple government organisations publish Open Data on the air quality and they do so for a very good reason. The amount of for instance inhalable coarse particles can cause health problems. That is why providing information on air (quality) - understood as common good - is important, as only so environmental problems such as air pollution can be addressed in a suitable manner. How to end up with reliable Open Data on air quality? It all starts with proper measurement stations. Take a look at for