The Scottish Government is set to overhaul its open data landscape this summer, introducing a suite of four integrated applications designed to replace the legacy portal.
In late May, the government unveiled plans for a new public data platform to replace statistics.gov.scot. This new system is designed to improve data access and user experience, while laying the groundwork to host additional datasets and services in the future. The platform aims to streamline how users discover and analyse data, while offering better support to the publishers who manage it.
The Open Data team in the Scottish Government’s Digital Directorate has stated: “Our aim is to create a more modern, accessible and user-centred data platform that meets today’s needs.”
Specifically, the new platform will:
- Streamline discovery: Improve how users search, locate, and explore datasets.
- Simplify reuse: Make it easier to access and repurpose public data.
- Empower publishers: Provide robust tools for managing and publishing datasets.
Recently, the team’s Senior Product Manager confirmed a late-summer launch date and unveiled the four core applications driving the new service:
- data.gov.scot: The main public portal for finding, accessing, and utilising Scotland’s open data.
- Data publisher application: A dedicated tool allowing public sector organisations to publish their data directly to the main portal.
- Content management system: A system built in collaboration with Umbraco to manage content across the platform.
- Data management system: A platform built in collaboration with CKAN to catalogue, manage, and distribute datasets.
Following the launch, the Scottish Government will actively gather user feedback to refine and improve the service.
