Events

Data for the People: The Evolution of Toronto's Open Data Ecosystem

Join the upcoming CKAN Monthly Live webinar featuring Open Data Toronto to delve into the transformative journey of their Open Data Portal. Join us for an enlightening session on the portal's journey, showcasing how it has expanded and adapted to meet the growing demands for open data.

    15 November 2023 - 15:00
CKAN Monthly Live - Video

This CKAN Monthly Live is not to be missed, as it will feature Open Data Toronto. Mackenzie Nichols will provide a deep dive into the City of Toronto's Open Data Portal, illuminating its structure, challenges, and the innovative solutions employed to enhance data accessibility and quality for the city's residents and beyond. Attendees will gain exclusive insights into the inner workings of a leading open data initiative.

🔥 About the Project

Launched in 2009, the City of Toronto's Open Data Portal has been instrumental in democratizing data access, reflecting the city’s commitment to transparent and inclusive governance. It's crafted to facilitate interaction with data, enabling visualization and accessible downloads in multiple formats. With features like direct communication with data proprietors, an updated data newsfeed, and a detailed, searchable catalog, the portal serves as a hub for civic innovation. Continuously refined through community collaboration, it meets the evolving needs of technologists, policymakers, and activists, empowering the public with insightful data for informed civic service design. The portal's roadmap illustrates a clear trajectory of growth and expansion, with milestones marking the journey towards a more informed and participatory urban environment.

🎯 Why Should You Attend?

Attending this webinar will equip you with a behind-the-scenes look at how the City of Toronto's Open Data Portal operates, leveraging CKAN to maintain a robust and user-friendly system. You'll gain a thorough understanding of the challenges faced in scaling and refreshing vast data sets, the technical nuances of datastore caching, and the best practices in ensuring catalog cleanliness. This session is invaluable for anyone involved in data management, policy-making, or civic technology, providing actionable insights that can be applied to similar challenges in open data projects.

This webinar will provide a platform to discuss the complexities of scaling data, managing the growing demands of a digital city, and ensuring the integrity and organization of the open data catalog.

💡 In his presentation, Mackenzie will cover:

  • a live demo that delves into the organizational framework of Toronto's Open Data Portal
  • challenges encountered in scaling ETL processes to support an expanding data ecosystem
  • techniques for effective datastore caching
  • strategies for ensuring a clean and up-to-date data catalog
  • and more

Speaker

  • Mackenzie Nichols
    Software Engineer at Open Data Toronto
    Mackenzie is a software engineer on the City of Toronto's Open Data Team. His expertise includes enhancing data accessibility, ensuring data quality, and streamlining data processes. Nichols' contributions are instrumental in evolving the Open Data Portal to meet the needs of a diverse user base.

🌟 Special Update🌟

We’re going to have an exclusive segment featuring our Product Owner Alex Gostev, who will provide updates on the CKAN Project 2023 and discuss the ongoing work and vision of the CKAN 3.0 Taskforce Team!

We look forward to welcoming you to an evening of discovery and networking that will deepen your understanding of the open data landscape and provide you with the tools to harness its full potential!

Details

  • Date: Wednesday, November 15, 2023
  • Time: 13:00 UTC
  • How long: 60 mins
  • Language: English

Register

  • Reserve your spot here.

Google Meet joining info

  • CLICK HERE to join with Google Meet
  • Or dial: ‪(BG) +359 2 907 4153‬ PIN: ‪492 965 761‬#
  • More phone numbers here

Meetings agenda

  1. Welcome and introductions – 10 min
  2. CKAN 3.0 Taskforce update from Alex Gostev – 10 min
  3. Presentation from City of Toronto's Open Data Portal – 20 min
  4. Discussion / Q&A – 15 min
  5. Community announcements and sharing (if any) – 2 min
  6. Closing – 3 min

You can have a look at the [CKAN Monthly Live] Meeting Doc. Feel free to add items and things you’d like to discuss to the agenda.

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Don’t forget to share your experience by using #CKANMonthlyLive!

We look forward to seeing you all on CKAN Monthly Live!

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