Feature assessment model for data portal evaluation

Abstract

The open data movement of recent years has led to an increase in the existence of online data portals that publish data for reuse. These data portals are utilized in a range of contexts, especially for publishing public sector information and scientific data. In order to understand the current status of the data portal landscape, we assessed a set of some well used and well-respected data portals within the government and scientific contexts with the goal of identifying best practices (and gaps) with respect to data accessibility, interoperability, and reusability. From this we identified 18 features that could be used for data portal comparison and evaluation for suitability for use. Each portal was scored by its implementation (or lack thereof) of each feature as a way to determine trends across these portals, where certain features matter more in certain contexts than others. With these trends in mind, this paper presents a set of recommendations for data portals to follow as a way to advance the open data movement and promote knowledge discovery through the reuse of data.