Open data
Background
In the spirit of transparency, we have started to publish datasets for which we are responsible. A dataset is a collection of facts or information. Our datasets cover:
- assets we own or manage
- expenditure and spending on services
- geographic information about the district
Datasets
We will add further datasets in the future:
- car park information: NDC car park data, locations, spaces and facilities (added 2 June 2011)
- councillor grant data: information on grants awarded by councillors to local organisations
- election results: contributing to the Open Election Data project (added 13 July 2011)
- equality data: a range of customer service, workforce and service delivery datasets
- expenditure data: spending data for individual items over £500 (updated monthly)
- food hygiene ratings: check food hygiene standards of restaurants, takeaways or food shops in North Devon (updated weekly)
- members' allowances: payments made under the scheme for members' allowances (added 2 June 2011)
- public toilet data: facilities, locations, opening times and more (added 19 July 2011)
- senior salary data: payband data for senior staff (updated annually)
- website statistics: showing overall web hits, popular pages and so on (updated monthly)
Central
government and all other local
authorities are publishing open data. You can find further information at:
- data.gov.uk
: collection
of data from central government departments and agencies - Devon
County Council: Devon wide facts
and figures
- Openly Local:
an independent resource,
collating local government data
Using the data
Data is published as:
- printable versions: usually pdf files
- machine readable formats, which can be easily re-formatted and re-presented: such as comma separated value (CSV) files
You can use
the data to:
- see how we work and how resources are allocated, or find specific information
- republish on your website
- create a web or mobile phone application or "mashup" - for example, using datasets to produce maps or visualisations
Resources
There are lots of resources available to help you along the way, including:
- David Higgerson: "Council spending data:
10 tips for journalists looking for stories"
- Making
a difference with data: a project
to spread understanding about open data and transparency in local public services
- Open
data cookbook: Making open data
accessible for everyone
- Open local data blog
- OUseful:
"Getting started with local council spending data"
Open Government Licence
Unless otherwise stated, the data is licensed under the Open Government Licence
. This means that
you do not need permission to use or re-use the data.
Contact information
We would love to hear from you. Contact us if you:
- have any questions about the data
- spot any errors or omissions
- would like to discuss how to use this data, including ideas for application development
- would like to show us what you have done with the data
Telephone: 01271 388278
For Typetalk: precede with 18001
Email: communications@northdevon.gov.uk
Join the conversation on Twitter
Compliment, complaint or suggestion? Your feedback
Our office hours are 9.00 am to 5.00 pm Monday to Friday.
