On 6/26/13 6:12 PM, Alvaro Graves wrote:
Hi Frans,I think there is a chicken-and-egg problem there. Governments won't release Linked Data since they don't see the value of doing so because nobody uses it (at least that's what employees from several government have told me).I disagree with Kinsgley in terms that Linked Data is not complicated, it is more complex than releasing CSV files.
It doesn't have to be complicated. Of course, most assume it is, and sometimes for good reason.
My main point is that CSV is a more widely used and familiar interchange format than any interchange formats associated with RDF, that will be the case for a very long time.
Now, accepting that CSV is actually the popular format in the Open Data realm, why not use it as a bridge to Linked Data?
The evidence for me is the fact that very few governments have actually released LOD platforms :-)
Maybe, but CSV to Linked Data is a massive business opportunity for those with the skills associated with this conversion.
I think there is an intrinsic value of LOD that can't be obtained by releasing 3-star data, however in many of these situations people can make short term plans (i.e., release in whatever format you have, don't spend too much time on modeling, converting, etc.).From the point of view of developers, I don't see as many tools to use LOD as for using CSV, JSON, etc. I think this is a critical point in encouraging the use and publication of LOD.
My fundamental point is this: build bridges. CSV is a great way to bridge and aid appreciation of Linked Data's virtues. There's also a lot of low hanging fruit business on that front too :-)
Kingsley
Alvaro Graves-Fuenzalida Web: http://graves.cl - Twitter: @alvarogravesOn Wed, Jun 26, 2013 at 11:45 AM, Frans Knibbe | Geodan <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:Hello Alvaro, I think a big reason is the lack of data. I believe that if governmental institutions in my country would publish their data as five star data there would be a boom in development of civic apps, and in the publication of other data sets as Linked Data too. As things stand now, the core of national or regional data that is published as Linked Data is so small that it can very easily be ignored. There is no critical mass. Regards, Frans On 26-6-2013 16:03, Alvaro Graves wrote:Hello everyone, A few days ago I attended ABRELATAM'13 an unconference focused on Open Data in Latin America. I proposed a session about Open Data + Linked Data to discuss how semantics and LOD in general can help government and civi organizations. I want to share the main ideas that emerged from the conversation: - SW/LOD sounds really cool and the direction where thing should move. - However there are many technical aspects that remain unsolved - Since for many people having a relatively good solution using CSV, JSON, etc. is easier, they don't want to use SW/LOD because it is an overkill and too complicated. So my question is: Why we don't see lots of civic apps using Linked Data? Where are the SW activists? Why we haven't been able to demonstrate to the hacker community the benefits of using semantic technologies? Is it because they are hard to use? They don't scale well in many cases (as a googled pointed out)? Are we too busy working in academia/businesses? I know very few civic apps using semantic technologies and I don't think I have seen anyone that has made real impact in any country. I would love if you can prove me wrong and if we can discuss how can we involve more activists and hackers into the SW/LOD community. Alvaro Graves-Fuenzalida Web: http://graves.cl - Twitter: @alvarograves-- --------------------------------------*Geodan* President Kennedylaan 1 1079 MB Amsterdam (NL) T +31 (0)20 - 5711 347 <tel:%2B31%20%280%2920%20-%205711%20347> E [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> www.geodan.nl <http://www.geodan.nl> | disclaimer <http://www.geodan.nl/disclaimer> --------------------------------------
-- Regards, Kingsley Idehen Founder & CEO OpenLink Software Company Web: http://www.openlinksw.com Personal Weblog: http://www.openlinksw.com/blog/~kidehen Twitter/Identi.ca handle: @kidehen Google+ Profile: https://plus.google.com/112399767740508618350/about LinkedIn Profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/kidehen
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