[ckan-discuss] Data services on top of CKAN

[Pol, Koos]

Hi,

We are working on a concept for an FOSS data _services_ catalog.  During my research I came across CKAN. As it seems, CKAN provides a snug fit for a lot of functionality we require. So we are investigating the possibility to borrow from or tag along on the CKAN platform.

Some of the additional functionality we seek is:

-          A more dynamic implementation than static data serving

-          Timeliness of the data. How old is the data? What are the periods of updates? Are dynamic updates possible? If this info is present in the catalog, an app designer can benefit from that and take measures.

-          What are the parameters for the service? (E.g. you don't want to download the entire Amsterdam public transport table, if you only need the table time for tram line 5 at the Okura Hotel)

-          Designing a smart GUI *provider* client for data services providers. For instance, a Coast Guard employee drag-n-drops the high water marks on the canvas, and the client makes a data service for it. (This is a silly example. But I'm a techie, not a thats-a-good-idea-for-an-app generator ;-)

How would the CKAN community welcome the idea of extending the CKAN platform with a services layer? The services layer could take the shape of a separate component, leaving CKAN in itself untouched. Perhaps it can be downloaded as a plugin.

I'd very much welcome your feedback.
Thanks,
Koos

Koos Pol | software architect Technical Software Engineering
Laan van Kronenburg 2, 1183 AS  Amstelveen | Nederland
T: +31 (0) 88 5646 064 | M: +31 (0) 6 54 987 082
koos.pol at logica.com<mailto:koos.pol at logica.com> | www.logica.com<http://www.logica.com/>



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