Featured Website: OPEN DATA PHILIPPINES

Open Data for Filipinos Everywhere

Are you looking for what the government spent last year? Need
statistics on public health services? Search for national
government data using GOV.PH/data

URL: https://data.gov.ph/

What is Open Data Philippines?

Open Data Philippines aims to make all open government data accessible through one single portal, data.gov.ph. Open Data Philippines collects datasets from different government agencies, allowing users to find specific data from a continuously growing collection of public datasets.

What does Open Data Philippines do?

Open Data Philippines provides the public with accessible, searchable, and understandable government data.

Accessible – Users of the website may not only view the data but also share and download it in open formats. This encourages innovation by harnessing local Filipino talent and allowing people to easily use datasets in new and creative ways.

Searchable – The website consolidates open datasets from various government agencies and publishes it on one single portal, Open Data Philippines. Users may search by the government department, category, topic, or date published.

Understandable – The website offers graphs and other visualization tools that will help the public understand government data. Additional information about the data is also available to be viewed and downloaded via its metadata.

Is this a new government project?

Open Data is not an entirely new program. Individual agencies have separately launched parallel open data portals and programs such as the Department of Budget and Management’s Transparency Seal program, Department of Interior and Local Government’s Full Disclosure Policy Portal (FDPP), and Philippine Statistics Authority's Open Statistics Portal. Open Data Philippines aims to bring together all existing open data initiatives under the brand of Open Data Philippines. The website was launched in 2014 and currently holds more than 3,000 data files from different national government agencies.

How do I explore Open Data Philippines?

Most data available at Open Data Philippines are in machine-readable formats. You may download any dataset you want to explore and use it as a raw material for a report, application, or system. You may also use the simple graphs that may be found on some datasets to visualize the data.

I am a private citizen, what can I do with Open Data Philippines?

Users may request for data and send comments, suggestions, or even stories of how they use open data. They may also participate by submitting applications and visualizations based on public data. This engagement of ideas between the public and the government will help develop the platform further.

I am from the government, how can I support Open Data?

Open Data Philippines recognizes that government agencies have sets of exciting, but untapped, public data. These data are generated over the course of normal work and implementation of agency projects. Open government data initiatives in other countries have led to the development of innovative applications and services that empower the public to make informed decisions while creating a more efficient and transparent government.

How can I communicate with the ODPH team?

You may contact us via email at open@data.gov.ph. You may also follow and visit our social media pages on Facebook at facebook.com/datagovph and Twitter at @datagovph.

Open Data 101

What are open formats?

An open format is a file format for storing digital data that are not covered by any restrictions, patents, or copyrights. Open formats are file types that are commonly in CSV, TXT, SHP, JSON, XML. They may be opened by both free and proprietary software.

What are the benefits of converting to open formats?

One of the major objectives of open data is to make data usable. Data in open formats are easier to use, reuse, and add to. Opening data makes it easier for coders, developers, artists, students, and the general public to use government data for free and without restrictions.

When an agency opens their datasets, the public can create numerous innovative products out of it such as applications, data stories, and visualizations.

What if my data is in a different format such as a PDF?

A PDF document is not an open format, therefore, any data that is in PDF is not considered open data. There are a number of ways to convert PDF documents to open formats. You may contact us at open@data.gov.ph so we may help you convert your data.

What is the difference between a data and a dataset?

A data is a single file or document while a dataset is a collection of similar or related data. An example of a data is a single spreadsheet about rice crop yield in January 2017. A dataset, on the other hand, is a folder that contains 12 data files on rice crop yield per month for the year 2017

Who uploads data?

Each government agency is given an account on Open Data Philippines for the collection and uploading of data. However, in cases when agencies are not able to do so, Open Data Philippines assists in collecting and uploading datasets.

How do you choose which data to upload?

Open Data Philippines conducts a number of engagement activities with the government and the public to survey for datasets that we might be able to collect and upload. We also constantly look at a number of international surveys and best practices that measure Open Data disclosure per country such as the Open Data Barometer, Open Data Index, and the Open Data Charter.

If data is in open formats and can be downloaded and edited, can it also be manipulated within the portal?

No. Only the respective government agency has the authority to edit, correct, or update datasets. As soon as a government agency uploads its data on Open Data Philippines, it automatically publishes the single authoritative source of that data. Any government data or information that is anywhere else in the web except Open Data Philippines or the agency’s website may not be valid, true, or correct.

What should government agencies upload to Open Data Philippines?

We request agencies to gather data based on their primary mandates. A good starting point as well is data from the different projects that are managed by each agency.

I am from a government agency and I think we have data that are in open formats and are ready to be uploaded. What should I do?

You may send us a message at open@data.gov.ph. We will give you an account on the Open Data Philippines portal and you may begin uploading your datasets.

My agency is in an advanced stage of data collection and we have a data management system that is working for us. How should I collaborate with the Open Data Philippines?

We can integrate your datasets into our website. Through API, we will pull your datasets so they can be searchable from Open Data Philippines.

We have published datasets on Open Data Philippines before and we would like to update them. What should I do?

We created a new content management system for easier data collection. We have also appropriated user accounts for each agency. Please contact open@data.gov.ph to assist you.

I want to learn more about Open Data, do you have training or workshops?

Yes, we have regular training and workshops on data management and open data. Please send us a message at events@data.gov.ph for more information.

How do I use Open Data Philippines?

Most datasets published at Open Data Philippines are in machine-readable formats. This means that the data are published in formats that may be read and downloaded without the use of any proprietary system or application. You may download any data you want to explore and place it in a system, application, or website to enhance your product. You may also make use of the simple graphs that may be found on some datasets to visualize the data.

You may click on a category or a government department or agency to view a full list of their available data. Click on Preview to see a visual representation of the data or click Download to access the raw data on any device. If you do not find the data that you are looking for, you may request for that data through the Talk to Us page.

MY COMMENT:

I really love this site because it provides data and information about the Philippine government's endeavors. This really supports the Freedom of Information which we, Filipinos want to intensify! YES TO TRANSPARENCY!

Reference: https://data.gov.ph/?q=about