Linked Open Data: a growing movement

The internet now makes the entire storehouse of human knowledge available to anyone, anywhere, through access via computer or mobile device.  Reflecting this new reality, many organisations are taking their existing data sets – many of which are in principle in the public domain already – and making them freely available for use and re-use by anyone.

This worldwide trend towards opening up data (known as Open [Government] Data, or Linked Open Data - LOD) is empowering stakeholders and encouraging the public to make use of this data in new and creative ways.  As such, it can unleash new waves of innovation in all fields, including clean energy.  REEEP has been at the vanguard of this movement since 2010.

reegle.info: best practice in LOD

The reegle.info website is a best-practice example of how a major website can draw information from other sources using this new open format (RDF), and create Country Energy Profiles, easy-to-digest dossiers that integrate information from several previously unconnected sources. At the same time, all data sets on reegle are available for re-use by anyone else. A special data portal (http://data.reegle.info/) helps developers to access the data they need, and several major institutions are already drawing data sets from reegle.

Quick-start guide to LOD

REEEP’s IT and Operations Director Florian Bauer recently co-authored Linked Open Data: The Essentials, a quick-start guide for organisations seeking to open up their data sets.  The booklet outlines the key challenges and pitfalls in this process, and also illustrates best practice examples from Europe and North America.  
If you are an organization that is grappling with the LOD challenge, please get in touch with Florian Bauer or Denise Recheis for further information.