[okfn-labs] Ideas for data mashups and improved visualisation for CKAN

Wed Jul 24 16:31:54 UTC 2013

On Wed, Jul 24, 2013 at 6:08 PM, Gavin Chait <gavin.chait at okfn.org> wrote:

> I don’t think the intention is to glue everything together, but the
> current approach of download data from one place, do the analysis/mashup in
> a spreadsheet, then upload to a variety of places to achieve different
> visual ends does create a lot of work.
>

Last week, I had a project that involved Excel, QGis, TileMill,
python-mbutils, Leaflet and Wax and I wanted to kill kittens afterwards. So
yes, it's a lot of work, but as you indicate below, improvements come from
better interoperability between individual components, not from the
creation of meta-systems. Everybody wants to be the orchestra director, so
they don't actually produce any sound.

> CKAN has an API that should facilitate integration with these different
> platforms, whether they are deployed with CKAN or the data is piped through
> to them during search.
>

OK, so CKAN is a really good data delivery mechanism Gov->Web, how can you
make this better? Of course its more attractive to think of it as the grand
mediator between all the things, but by solving the simpler question you're
creating more value. Win-win :)

Cheers,

 - Friedrich
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