Tools
Here is a selection of useful tools you might want to know if you are willing to learn how to manage, obtain and visualise data.
Extract data from PDFs with Tabula
Tabula is a tool for liberating data tables locked inside PDF files.
Visualising data with Datawrapper
An open source tool helping anyone to create simple, correct and embeddable charts in few minutes.
Cleaning data with OpenRefine
OpenRefine is a standalone open source desktop application for data cleanup and transformation to other formats, the activity known as data wrangling.
Crowsourced mapping with Ushahidi Make smart decisions with a data management system that rapidly collects data from the crowd and visualizes what happened, when and where.
Scraping data collaborativelly with ScraperWiki
ScraperWiki is a web-based platform for collaboratively building programs to extract and analyze public data, in a wiki-like fashion.
Mapping Open Data with CartoDB
CartoDB is a Software as a Service cloud computing platform that provides GIS and web mapping tools in the browser.
Mapping Using Inforgr.am to create infographics
Infogr.am is an information graphic designing tool offering numerous possibilites for the creation of infographics and charts. All through a beautifully designed and easy-to-use web interface that lets users create and share compelling data visualisations.
Scrape data without coding using import.io
Import.io lets you scrape data from any website into a searchable database. It is perfect for gathering, aggregating and analysing data from websites without the need for coding skills.
Detective.io
Detective.io is a platform to store and mine all the data you have on a precise topic. You first design the ontology, then upload it to Detective.io, which creates an input interface and a front-end automatically. The front-end lets you display all the information and search it using the powerful graph search.
Portable Linked Profiles
PLP proposes a pattern for the creation, storage, listing and representation of public profile data for people, groups, organizations, venues and a large etcetera. Based on Open Web Standards, Common Vocabularies and Open Source technologies, it offers users the possibility to own the their data diverging from current mainstream and centralized profile platforms.
Handbooks
The Geojournalism handbook
The Geojournalism Handbook is part of the portfolio of the Environmental News Lab (Ecolab), a multidisciplinary team hosted at Brazilian non profit news agency O ECO working to create useful applications for environmental coverage. The online toolkit was created in partnership with ICFJ, Internews’ Earth Journalism Network and the Flag It! Project.
Trainings & more
School Of Data
School of Data works to empower civil society organizations, journalists and citizens with the skills they need to use data effectively – evidence is power!
Data Driven Journalism
Data Driven Journalism is one of the leading initiatives for training, resources and networking in the area of data journalism.
Blogs
Openeverything
OpenEverything ist ein politischer Blog für Freiheit und Offenheit im digitalen Zeitalter. Es ist ein Versuch Open-Data in die Gesellschaft zu tragen.
OKCast
The OKCast is a weekly open source blog and podcast with the goal to explore, connect, use and inspire open knowledge projects around the world to develop the public commons, improve organization and government transparency and communication, and advocate for social justice and social activism.
