friday lunchtime lecture: what’s ‘api’ning in your local area? revealing places with open data
DESCRIPTION
There’s lots of open data on local areas about, but it’s in hundreds of datasets in hundreds of places and hundreds of formats. So where should you begin?The Local Government Association (LGA) has developed LG Inform, an online data service to bring lots of this data together. Working with Porism, they have developed an API for developers and others to present the data in a variety of ways for wide audiences.Juliet Whitworth, research and information manager at the LGA, and Mike Thacker, founder of Porism, will take you through what’s possible, give a demo and answer your questions.TRANSCRIPT
Date @@jwww.local.gov.uk
What’s api-ning in your local area?Revealing places with open data
Juliet Whitworth,Research and Information Manager, LGA
Mike Thacker,Software Director, Porism Ltd
18 September 2015
www.local.gov.uk
Agenda
• Introduction• Background to the LG Inform API• Technical overview• Chance to ask questions
www.local.gov.uk
Background to the API
• Lots of data about local areas exists, but notnecessarily to same standards and formats
• Data that is comparable is all over the place• LGA has developed LG Inform and LG Inform
Plus• 3,000 metrics available at local authority level,
ward level and below• The API makes this available as a direct feed
ww.local.gov.uk
www.local.gov.uk
What Data is Available?
www.local.gov.uk
What Next?
• Still a wealth of data held locally, but not consistent• But substantial activity in local government on
increasing the take-up and re-use of open data• LGA promoting the adoption of common processes
and standards• Find more at http://www.local.gov.uk/local-
transparency and LG Inform Plus
www.local.gov.uk
What is the API?
A set of RESTful web methods that feed data to frontfeed applications.See:
http://webservices.esd.org.uk/ http://webservices.esd.org.uk/explain
www.local.gov.uk
What You Get• Everything that drives the LGA’s own applications
for benchmarking and small area profiling • Data (see datasets) maintained by Research and
Information team• Sound statistical analysis (see value types)
www.local.gov.uk
Applying a Consistent Framework
Metrics • 2,917 metric types with values• 49 million metric values available
(+ 85 million in back end)
• many data sources• consistent time periods• consistent breakdowns• large to small official statistical areas• other areas
Audit CommissionChiMatCIPFA Statistical Information ServicesClinical and Health Outcomes Knowledge BaseCommunities and Local GovernmentCommunity Health ProfilesDepartment for EducationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsDepartment for TransportDepartment for Work and PensionsDepartment of Energy and Climate ChangeDepartment of HealthDepartment of TransportHealth and Social Care Information CentreHM Revenue & CustomsHome OfficeLocal Government AssociationLocal Government OmbudsmanMinistry of Justice National Adult Social Care Intelligence Service (NASCIS)NeSS data exchangeNomisNorth West Health ObservatoryOfcomOffice for National StatisticsOfstedPublic Health EnglandSouth West Health ObservatorySport EnglandTenant Services AuthorityThe Elections Centre, Plymouth UniversityThe Insolvency ServiceThe Planning InspectorateValuation Office AgencyYouth Justice board
Census yearCalendar yearMonthFinancial yearCalendar quarterAcademic yearFinancial quarterThree-year wintersElection year
Age bandEmployment statusEthnicityFatal or non-fatalFire causeGenderLocationSurvey method
LSOAMSOAWardDistrict councilCounty councilSingle tier councilRegionCountry
City districtsCommunity impact areasCommunity networksConstituenciesDraft/new wardsParishesPartnership areasRegen projectsSub-wardsThames corridorTown centresVillages
www.local.gov.uk
Official and User-defined AreasNatural neighbourhoods Example URI:http://id.esd.org.uk/neighbourhood/NN49 Defined by anyone Published as open linkeddata Available via the API withaggregated metrics
www.local.gov.uk
How Metric Values are DefinedAreas
Time periodsMetrics
All typesId1 - Population
Population of all counties of England in 2014
All typesAll counties
All typesCalendar year 2014
www.local.gov.uk
API Keys• Sign in and request a key • Public key is for quick use• Public private key is to ‘sign’ live calls• OAuth is to recognise individual users (if you need to)
www.local.gov.uk
Further Information
API: www.local.gov.uk/lginformapiHelp: help.esd.org.uk / [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] @Juliet_W @MikeThacker