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Datastory’s Glossary

Key concepts curated by the Datastory team.

About the project

All Civic tech Data journalism Data science Data visualization Knowledge organization Open data Science Statistics Technology

Anonymization

Data anonymization is a type of process to remove sensitive information to ...

API – Application Programming Interface

An API is an interface that defines how, for example, software applications can ...

Attribution

Attribution means acknowledging the source of data when using or re-publishing ...

Big data

A collection of data so large that it cannot be stored, transmitted or processed ...

Blockchain

A blockchain is a growing list of records, called blocks, that are linked using ...

Bulk download

Data is available in "bulk" if the entire dataset can be downloaded easily and ...

CC0

CC0 (a Creative Commons License) enables scientists, educators, artists and ...

Civic education

Civic education relates to empowering people to be well-informed, active ...

Civic tech

Civic technology, or civic tech, enhances the relationship between the people ...

CKAN

An open-source software platform for creating data portals, built and maintained ...

Cloud

Data stored ‘in the cloud’ is handled by a hosting company, relieving the data ...

Confounding variable

A confounding variable is an outside influence that changes the effect of the ...

Controlled vocabulary

Controlled vocabularies provide a way to organize knowledge for retrieval. They ...

Correlation does not imply causation

An easy mistake to make (a "logical fallacy") is to draw the conclusion that, ...

Creative Commons

A Creative Commons (CC) license is one of several public copyright licenses that ...

Crowdsourcing

Crowdsourcing is a sourcing model in which individuals or organisations obtain ...

CSV

CSV or Comma-separated values, is a standard format for spreadsheet data. Data ...

Data cleaning

Data cleansing or data cleaning is the process of detecting and correcting (or ...

Data journalism

Data journalism is the use of data, storytelling and visualization to uncover, ...

Data portal

A data portal is any online platform which supports users in accessing ...

Data story

A data story is a format that combines data and storytelling into a pedagogical, ...

Data visualization

Data visualization is an interdisciplinary field that deals with the graphic ...

Dataset

A dataset is a collection of related tables of data that may be accessed ...

Datastory

A platform that explains important issues using data storytelling and ...

DCAT, DCAT-AP

DCAT (Data Catalogue Vocabulary) is a standard developed by the W3C organization ...

Dimension

In a database, dimensions provide structured, categorical information about ...

ETL

In computing, extract, transform, load (ETL) is the general procedure of copying ...

Five stars of open data

A rating system for open data proposed by Tim Berners-Lee, founder of the World ...

Freedom of Information (FOI)

A requirement in law (e.g. the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in the UK or the ...

Geodata

Any dataset where data points include a location, e.g. as latitude and longitude ...

GeoJSON

GeoJSON is an open standard format designed for representing simple geographical ...

GIS

GIS, or Geographical Information System, is any computer system designed to ...

Git

Git is a software for tracking changes ("version control") in any set of files – ...

GitHub

GitHub is a cloud-based version-control and collaboration platform for software ...

Granularity (data)

Granular data is data that is in small pieces, for example in its most "raw ...

Hackathon

A hackathon is an event, usually hosted by a tech company or organisation, in ...

Human Readable

Data in a format that can be conveniently read by a human. Some human-readable ...

Identifier

The name of an object or concept in a database. An identifier may be the ...

IETF

The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) is an open standards organization, ...

Interoperability

Interoperability is a characteristic of a product or system that can work with ...

IoT, Internet of Things

The Internet of Things (IoT) describes a system of ...

JavaScript

JavaScript is a dynamic programming language that is mostly used for web ...

JSON

JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is an open standard file format, and data ...

Linked open data

Linked data is structured data which is interlinked with other data so it ...

Machine readable

Data in a data format that can be automatically read and processed by a ...

Metadata

Information about a dataset such as its title and description, method of ...

ODbL

Open Database Licence, an open licence for data.

Ontology (information science)

In computer science and information science, an ontology is a way of keeping ...

Open access

The principle that access to the published papers and other results of research, ...

Open data

Open Data is the idea that some data should be freely available to everyone to ...

Open data charter

The International Open Data Charter is a set of principles and best practices ...

Open definition

The Open Definition, first released by Open Knowledge in 2005, sets out under ...

Open format

A file format with no restrictions, monetary or otherwise, placed upon its use ...

Open government

Open government, in line with the open movement generally, seeks to make the ...

Open source

Open source is source code (the code that makes up a software) that is made ...

Open standards

Generally understood as technical standards which are free from licencing ...

P-value

The P value, or calculated probability, is a statistical concept that is used in ...

PDF

PDF, or Portable Document Format, is an open file format used for exchanging ...

Peer-review

Peer review is the evaluation of work by one or more people with similar ...

Proprietary

Proprietary software is owned by a company which restricts the ways in which it ...

PSI Directive

A directive on open data and the re-use of public sector information that ...

Public domain

The public domain refers to creative materials that are not protected by ...

Raw data

Raw data, also known as primary data, are data (e.g., numbers, instrument ...

RDF

RDF, The Resource Description Framework, is a family of standards that are used ...

React

React (also known as React.js or ReactJS) is an open-source, front end, ...

SaaS

Software as a service (or SaaS) is a way of delivering applications over the ...

Scraping (data)

Data scraping is a technique in which a computer program extracts data from ...

SDMX

SDMX, which stands for Statistical Data and Metadata eXchange is an ...

Semantic web

The Semantic Web is an extension of the World Wide Web through standards set by ...

Server

In computing, a server is a piece of computer hardware or software (computer ...

Shapefile

The shapefile format is a geospatial data format. It is developed and regulated ...

SKOS

Simple Knowledge Organization System (SKOS) is a W3C recommendation designed for ...

Small data

To provide a contrast to "Big data", multiple definitions of "Small data" has ...

Solutions journalism

Solutions journalism is an approach to news reporting that focuses on the ...

SPARQL

SPARQL is a query language for databases. It allows retrieval and manipulation ...

Spatial data

Data that is geographic in nature with an implicit or explicit association with ...

Spreadsheet

A spreadsheet is an application for organizing, analysing, and ...

SQL

SQL (pronounced "sequel"), Structured Query Language, is a domain-specific ...

Statistical significance

Statistical significance is a way of quantifying whether results in data are not ...

Structured data

Structured data is data that adheres to a pre-defined data model and is ...

Tab-separated values

Tab-separated values, or TSV is a standard format for spreadsheet data. As it ...

Taxonomy

Taxonomy is the science of naming, describing and classifying organisms or ...

Transparency

Transparency, as used in science, engineering, business, the humanities and in ...

Triplestore

A triplestore or RDF store is a purpose-built database for the storage and ...

URI / URL

A Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) is a unique sequence of characters that ...

W3C

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is an international community where Member ...

Web application

A web application or web app is computer program that runs on a web ...

Wikidata

Wikidata is a free and open knowledge base that can be read and edited by both ...

Wikipedia

Wikipedia is a free, collaborative, and multilingual online encyclopedia, ...

XLS(X)

Microsoft Excel files are typically stored with .xls or .xlsx file extensions as ...

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