NewCo Austin 2016

Session Title: Why your Open Data is ready to be Linked Data

There are more Open Data sets on the internet today than there were websites when Google started, and thanks to Open Government policies and the Reproducible Research movement that growth is accelerating. Open Data’s rise will play a determining factor in how we solve humanity's biggest problems—yet discovering, exploring, and collaborating on these data sets remains a struggle.

Far too many Open Data sets are distributed on siloed data portals with no common taxonomies or information architectures, shared as downloadable documents or databases that cannot be queried or correlated to other data sources, formatted in ways that require specialized handling, devoid of vital semantics.

What if we could fix all of these problems with a single technology? In fact, we can—and the solution has been hidden in plain sight for years.

Linked Data is the ability to express data as atomic facts using globally­ defined properties and relationships that can carry structured notions of meaning. It is a well­ developed area of computer science with significant adoption in certain industries.

Why, then, aren't more Open Data sets available as Linked Data?

The usual suspects—lack of awareness, technical skill gaps—certainly play a role, but the primary counterweight is something of a chicken ­and ­egg problem. Open, Linked Data sets are far more valuable at scale, once a network effect has been achieved. The value of each data set increases in proportion to the number of data sets that are networked. Historically, Open Data sets have been few and far between, but those days are over. Now we have enough Open Data to create immediate value by linking it together using today’s technologies. So how should you get started?

In this talk, you will learn how to apply Linked Data to any structured data set, how to contribute to and benefit from the network effect at the crossroads of Open Data and Linked Data, and where these powerful technologies are likely to take us next. 


- Entering the office address (7000 N. Mopac) sometimes directs to the incorrect location; we are located at the intersection of Mopac & Far West—entering “data.world” into Google maps will direct to the correct location
- Parking is available in any unreserved spot in the garage next to the building
- Seating will be limited (mostly a stand-up event); we can provide seating for anyone who needs it (they can let us know in advance or just ask us when they get there)
- Light refreshments will be served