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1.0
  • Getting started with Opendatasoft
    • Using Opendatasoft as an authenticated user
    • Discovering a domain without having an Opendatasoft account

Front Office

  • Exploring the catalog and datasets
    • Navigating the catalog
      • Sorting the catalog
      • Filtering the catalog
        • Using the search bar
        • Using the geographic filter
        • Using the selectable filters
      • Downloading the catalog
      • Exploring a dataset from the catalog
    • Looking up a dataset
      • Checking dataset information
      • Visualizing data
        • Visualizing data in a table
        • Visualizing data on a map
        • Visualizing data through a chart
        • Visualizing data through images
        • Visualizing data in a calendar
      • Filtering a dataset
        • Using the search bar
        • Using the selectable filters
    • Searching in the data
      • Query Language and Geo Filtering
        • Query language
        • Geo Filtering
    • Getting involved: sharing, reusing & reacting
      • Discovering & submitting data reuses
        • Discovering existing reuses
        • Submitting own reuses
      • Sharing & embedding data visualizations
        • Sharing a data visualization
        • Embedding a data visualization
      • Exporting data
        • Available export formats
        • Exporting and downloading images
      • Using the API
        • ODS Explore API
        • Triple Pattern Fragments
        • OData, WFS, and CSW
      • Commenting via Disqus
      • Following dataset updates
      • Sharing through social networks
      • Submitting feedback
  • Creating maps & charts
    • Create advanced maps with Map Builder
      • Overview of Map Builder
        • Overview of the layer editing area of Map Builder
        • Overview of the Map Builder menu
        • Overview of the interactive map of Map Builder
      • Create a multiple layers map
        • Add a dataset to your map
        • Edit a layer
      • Rename and save a map
        • Rename a map
        • Save a map
      • Manage your maps
        • Overview of the maps management interface: My Maps
        • Duplicate a map
        • Delete a map
      • Reorder and group layers in a map
        • Overview of the Order and groups interface
        • Group layers
        • Split groups of layers
      • Configure your map
        • Overview of the Configuration interface
      • Share your map
        • Overview of the Share interface
      • Navigate on a Map Builder map
        • Overview of the interactive map of Map Builder
        • Display or hide layers
        • Understand the map: captions
        • Use the search bar
    • Create advanced charts
      • Analyzing with the Chart Builder
        • First layer
        • Adding a series
        • Stacking layers
        • Creating a chart with multiple layers
        • Other examples of charts
  • Managing account
    • Configuring account settings
      • Modifying first and last name
      • Modifying email address
      • Modifying password
    • Managing API keys
      • Generating an API key
      • Revoking an existing API key
    • Checking account quota
    • Registering applications
    • Managing saved visualizations
      • Editing a saved visualization
      • Deleting a saved visualization
    • Managing notifications
      • Subscribing to alerts and reports
        • Daily report
        • Dataset processing notifications
        • API calls quota notifications
      • Subscribing to Opendatasoft newsletters
    • Managing identities
      • Identities tab for Opendatasoft users
      • Identities tab for local and linked users

Back Office

  • Publishing data
    • Creating a dataset
      • Retrieving a file
        • Retrieving a file from your computer
        • Retrieving a file from a URL
        • Retrieving a file from an FTP server
        • Supported formats
      • Retrieving an Opendatasoft dataset
        • Selecting the dataset
        • Overriding metadata and visualizations
        • Limitations
      • Configuring a remote service
        • Connectors to remote services
      • Creating a dataset with multiple files
        • Sourcing files one by one
        • Sourcing multiple files within an archive
        • Sourcing multiple files stored on an FTP server
      • Creating a dataset with media files
        • Sourcing media files with an archive file
        • Sourcing media files via URLs
        • Displaying images
      • Dataset limits
    • Managing saved connections
      • Saving a connection
      • Accessing saved connections
      • Editing a saved connection
      • Deleting a saved connection
    • Harvesting a catalog
      • Creating a harvester
      • Running a harvester
      • Editing harvested datasets
      • Deleting a harvester
      • Harvester types
        • Portals
        • Services
      • Scheduling
    • Processing data
      • Adding processors to a dataset
        • Geographical processors
        • Date processors
        • Text processors
        • Generic processors
      • Defining a dataset schema
        • Changing a label
        • Adding a description to a field
        • Choosing a field type
        • Setting up fields as facets
        • Configuring field options
        • Ordering fields in datasets
        • Discarding fields from datasets
    • Configuring metadata
      • Standard metadata
      • Interoperability metadata
        • DCAT metadata
        • INSPIRE
      • Admin metadata
    • Translating a dataset
      • Choosing elements for translation
      • Managing translations in the translation interface
        • Approving or rejecting translation suggestions
        • Adding new translations
    • Configuring visualizations
      • Configuring the Table visualization
      • Configuring the Map visualization
        • Customizing the tooltip
        • Customizing the map
      • Configuring the Analyze visualization
      • Configuring the Images visualization
        • Customizing the information panel
      • Configuring the Calendar visualization
      • Configuring the Custom view
      • Configuring the tooltip
        • No tooltip
        • Standard tooltip
        • Custom HTML tooltip
    • Configuring dataset export
      • Specifying a sort for exports
      • Adding other geographical projections
      • Adding more export formats
      • Uploading alternative exports
    • Keeping data up to date
      • Using scheduling to keep a dataset up to date
        • Adding a remote source
        • Specifying scheduling interval
      • Pushing realtime data
        • Configuring the dataset schema
        • Using the push URL
        • Pushing a field of type file
        • Updating data by defining a unique key
        • Deleting data
        • Get notified in case of inactivity
        • Unpublishing and disabling the API
        • Recovering data
    • Checking dataset history
      • Reverting to a former configuration
    • Managing security
      • Dataset exploration permissions
        • Dataset access rights
        • Data visibility filters
      • Management rights on the dataset
    • Publishing a dataset
      • Dataset actions and statuses
        • Actions
        • Statuses
  • Creating content with the Studio
    • Adding a page
    • Editing the page layout
      • Opening the layout editor
      • Adding sections
      • Adding blocks
      • Rearranging elements
    • Configuring Blocks
      • Adding a chart
        • Step 1: Select the block type
        • Step 2: Select the dataset
        • Step 3: Select the visualization type
        • Step 4: Configure the visualization parameters
        • Step 5: Configure the visualization styles
      • Adding a key performance indicator (KPI)
        • Step 1: Select the block type
        • Step 2: Select the dataset
        • Step 3: Select the KPI type
        • Step 4: Configure the visualization parameters
        • Step 5: Configure the visualization styles
      • Adding text
        • Selecting the block type
        • Adding text to a block
        • Text editor overview
        • Formatting text using the toolbar
      • Refining data
        • Combining conditions
        • Configuring conditions
        • Managing conditions
    • Configuring page information
    • Managing page access
      • Setting an access policy
      • Adding users and groups to a page
      • Removing users and groups from a page
      • Granting users and groups editing rights
      • Revoking editing rights from users and groups
      • Bulk edit users, groups, and rights
    • Previewing a page
    • Publishing a page
      • Publishing a page from the list of pages
      • Publishing a page from the preview
      • Publishing a page from the Studio
      • Unpublishing a page from the list of pages
  • Creating content
    • Creating a content page
    • Writing a content page
      • Using page templates
    • Content pages: ideas, tips & resources
      • Content integrations
        • Contact form
        • Pages list
      • Content creation resources
        • Metrics/KPI and Data tables
    • Managing the security of a page
      • Choosing an access policy
      • Managing page permissions for users and groups
        • Adding and deleting users or groups of users from a page
        • Managing page permissions for users and groups of users
    • Sharing & embedding a content page
      • Sharing a page via a direct URL
      • Embedding a page via an iFrame
  • Customizing the look & feel
    • Branding the portal
      • Choosing a portal name
      • Writing a portal description
      • Choosing a page title prefix
      • Defining a brand name
      • Adding a portal favicon
      • Adding a portal logo
      • Adding a login page logo
    • Configuring the data visualizations
      • Configuring chart default colors
      • Adding basemaps
        • Adding default basemaps
        • Adding custom basemaps
        • Adding external basemaps
      • Defining a default Map Builder location
    • Configuring the navigation
      • Choosing a root page
      • Configuring the navigation header
        • Adding a new menu item
        • Deleting a menu item
    • Customizing portal themes
      • Versioning themes
      • Customizing a portal theme
        • Layout options
        • Colors
        • Stylesheet
        • Header and Footer
        • Catalog card
    • Managing the dataset themes
      • Defining a new dataset theme
    • Adding assets
      • Adding an image as an asset
      • Adding a font as an asset
  • Managing the domain
    • Managing users and groups
      • Managing users
        • Inviting users to the portal
        • Permissions
        • Quotas
      • Organizing groups
        • Granting permissions and quotas
        • Managing members
      • Managing access requests
    • Managing subdomains
      • Managing subdomains
      • Creating a new subdomain
      • Distributing content to subdomains
        • Distributing datasets to a subdomain
        • Distributing pages to a subdomain
        • Distributing content to multiple subdomains
        • Organize your distribution using parameters
      • Managing subdomains quotas
    • Analyzing the domain's usage
      • Monitoring a domain
      • Analyzing users usage
      • Analyzing data usage
        • Totals
        • Popularity
        • Top 5
        • Theme Distribution
      • Analyzing dataset usage
      • Analyzing actions usage
        • API calls Errors
      • Analyzing domain activity
        • Backoffice Analytics
        • Activity log dataset
      • Analyzing Source Data
        • API names for Opendatasoft APIv1
        • API names for ODATA API
        • API names for Opendatasoft APIv2
    • Monitoring the domain's license and quotas
      • Quotas
      • Managing quotas
        • Your portal license
        • Setting defaults limitations on users
        • Setting specific limitations for individual users and a group of users
    • Managing pages
      • Managing pages from the list of pages
        • Accessing the list of pages
        • Overview of the list of pages
        • Taking actions on pages
  • Configuring a domain
    • Managing security
      • Configuring your portal's general security policy
        • Public or private?
        • Signup policy
        • User session timeout
        • Single sign-on
      • Single sign-on with SAML
        • Registering your SAML identity provider on your domain
        • Registering your domain on your identity provider
        • Single logout
      • Single sign-on with OpenID Connect
        • Register your OpenID Connect provider on your domain
        • Register your domain on your identity provider
        • Single logout
    • Managing legal information
      • Displaying legals
        • Cookie banner
        • Portal Terms and Conditions, Privacy Policy, and Cookies Policy
        • Licenses
    • Managing tracking
      • Third-party analytics
        • Configuring Google Analytics
        • Configuring XiTi Analyzer NX
        • Activating SmartTag
        • Configuring Matomo
    • Sharing, reusing, communicating
      • Engaging users
        • Comments
        • Encouraging reuses
        • Contact form recipients
        • Dataset subscriptions
        • User feedback on datasets (deprecated)
      • Improving user sharing
        • Integrating social media
        • Dataset information cards
    • Configuring domain
      • Configure catalog & dataset pages
        • Default tab
        • Catalog page — Geographic filter
      • Configure a shared catalog
        • What is a Shared Catalog and what is it for?
        • Configuring the Shared Catalog
        • Using the Shared Catalog
      • Regional settings
        • Domain timezone
        • CSV delimiter
        • Datasets default geographic coverage
    • Customizing domain URL
      • Customizing your domain URL
        • Customer-provided DNS aliases
        • HTTPS and TLS (SSL) certificates
        • Language handling

Other resources

  • Pictograms reference
    • Accommodations
    • Agriculture
    • Amenities
    • Arrows
    • Food and drinks
    • Health
    • Internet of things
    • Money
    • People
    • Points of interest
    • Ratings
    • Resources and ecology
    • Shopping
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    • Symbols
    • Tourism
    • Transportation
    • Worship
  • Accessibility
    • Referentials
    • Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
    • What does Opendatasoft do for accessibility?
    • Reporting an issue
  • Languages
  • Docs »
  • Exploring the catalog and datasets »
  • Navigating the catalog

Navigating the catalog¶

The dataset catalog of an Opendatasoft portal is accessible from the front office for all users allowed on the portal (i.e. for open portals it could be anyone wheareas for private portals it should be only authenticated users).

On most portals, the catalog is the landing page. However, if the default landing page has been changed to a custom page, the link to the catalog can often be found in the navigation bar at the very top of the front office. Since this navigation bar is fully customizable, the label of the link to access the catalog can be different from one portal to another (very often, "Data", "Catalog", "Explore" or "Datasets" are used as labels).

The structure of a dataset catalog remains the same no matter the portal.

Full interface of the catalog, with both sides

On the left side (1), are displayed:

  • the number of available datasets,

  • a catalog sort option to change the order of the datasets,

  • a variety of catalog filters to find specific datasets,

  • different possibilities to download the catalog.

On the right side (2), are displayed the datasets. Each dataset is represented by a rectangle called a "catalog card". On each card, the dataset's main metadata are displayed, along with quick links to visualize the data.

Sorting the catalog¶

By default, a dataset catalog is sorted by last modification date (i.e. the most recently modified datasets are displayed in first position, at the top of the catalog).

It is possible to change in which order the catalog cards are displayed with the catalog sorting option below the number of datasets, on the left side of the interface.

Catalog sorting option

The catalog can be sorted by a total of 10 methods. These methods are based on 5 sorting criterias, each being available in both increasing and decreasing order.

  • Dataset title: to sort the datasets in alphabetical order or reverse alphabetical order

  • Modification date: to sort the datasets by most recent or oldest modification date

  • Number of records: to sort the datasets by biggest or fewest number of records

  • Number of downloads: to sort the datasets by biggest or fewest number of downloads

  • Popularity: to sort the datasets from the most or least popular

To modify the sorting method, 2 possibilities:

  1. Click one of the 3 most popular methods: "Modified", "Popular", "A-Z".

  2. Use one of the other methods:

  1. Click the icon-seemore button to display all available sorting methods.

  2. Click the chosen sorting method in the list.

Once the new sorting method is chosen, the catalog automatically updates.

Filtering the catalog¶

When navigating a catalog with only a few datasets, it is easy to scroll down and check all the datasets available. But when navigating catalogs with dozens, even hundreds of datasets, scrolling down isn't an option. As a user on an open data portal, the reason for visiting that portal may not be just curiosity. The reason for being on the portal may be for a precise purpose ; to find specific data or to search for data from a specific topic, time period or even geographic area.

For these reasons and more, a variety of filtering options are available, below the number of datasets and the catalog sorting option, on the left side of the interface.

All options to filter the catalog: search bar, geographic and metadata filters

It is possible to filter:

  • by textual research, using the search bar

  • by territory, using the geographic filter

  • by metadata, using the available metadata-based filters

Using the search bar¶

The search bar should be used to make textual searches in the catalog. When doing a textual search, the platform will look for a match between the search and the metadata from all the available datasets (title, description, keywords etc.). The catalog will be filtered to only display those matching datasets.

Note

If there is no match after the textual search, the information "Your search didn't match any dataset." will be displayed instead of the catalog cards. Each textual search being recorded, the administrators of an Opendatasoft portal know about each search without a match. That way, knowing the interests and needs of their end-users, they might publish new datasets in the future to answer these interests and needs.

To make a textual search:

  1. Click on the search bar area.

  2. Type the word to search in the datasets.

  3. Press enter for the search to be taken into account, and the catalog filtered according to the typed word.

Note

It is possible to make more advanced searches with the search bar, using Query language (more info in the Searching the data documentation).

Using the geographic filter¶

Important

The geographic filter is configured by the administrators of the domain.

  • It is optional, which means that it may not be available in all Opendatasoft domains.

  • The available territories that can be selected with the geographic filter may not be the same from one Opendatasoft domain to another. On some domains, the geographic filter may focus on specific groups of territories whereas other domains might allow filtering across the entire world.

Under the search bar is displayed the geographic filter, that should be used to make geographic searches in the catalog. When doing a geographic search, the platform will look for a match between the territory selected with the filter and the geographic coverage metadata set for all available datasets. The catalog will be filtered to only display those matching datasets.

Note

Datasets for which the geographic coverage metadata has not been set cannot be found when using the geographic filter.

To make a geographic search:

  1. Click on the mini map to activate the geographic filter.

  2. Navigate the available territories until a chosen one has been reached and chosen as filter. The territories are ordered hierarchically, by administrative divisions. Some options are available in the geographic filter to help navigating through the administrative divisions:

  • "Back to..." allows to go back one step higher in the hierarchy.

  • "Go to..." allows to skip an administrative division and directly go one step lower in the hierarchy.

  • When more than 5 territories are available for selection, a search bar is displayed for textual searches in the current administrative division.

To deactivate the geographic filter, click on the cross icon-cross button right under the mini map.

Using the selectable filters¶

Under the geographic filter is a list of selectable filters sorted by categories based on the datasets metadata. These filters should be used to filter the datasets by view (visualizations such as Analyze, Map, Calendar etc.), date, publisher, keyword, theme, language, and any other metadata available as filter category. When searching with the selectable filters, the platform will look for a match between the selected values from the filter categories and the values set in the metadata of the available datasets. The catalog will be filtered to only display those matching datasets.

To use the selectable filters:

  1. Choose a category of filters.

  2. Under the name of the category of filters are listed values (which are the metadata set for the datasets). Click one of the values. The other values disappear and the catalog directly updates to only display datasets matching the newly applied filter.

Note

For some categories, it can be possible to select more than one value. In this case, after clicking on a value, the others do not disappear. Click on any other value to filter even more.

For other categories, such as "Modification", the values are sorted in a hierarchical way. It means that the year must be selected first, then the months are displayed. Once the month is selected, the days are displayed in order to be selected as well.

Downloading the catalog¶

Under all the filters are different possibilities to download the catalog. This does not allow to download all of the datasets from the catalog (or the filtered ones), but it allows to download an index of the datasets from the catalog along with their main metadata.

Possible formats to download the catalog

It is possible to download the catalog in the following formats:

  • XLS

  • CSV

  • RDF (Turtle)

  • RDF (XML)

  • RSS feed

Note

Using the Opendatasoft Search API, it is possible to download the catalog in other formats, such as JSON, data.json but also DCAT-AP (for Germany, Switzerland, Sweden and Spain).

Exploring a dataset from the catalog¶

Catalog card of a dataset from a catalog

From the catalog interface, only the catalog card of the dataset is displayed. The catalog card should show the following information:

  • a pictogram, to represent the theme of the dataset

  • the title of the dataset

  • the description of the dataset

  • the name of the publisher

  • the license of the dataset

  • the keywords of the dataset

  • links to the available visualizations of the dataset (e.g. Table, Map, etc.)

  • links to tabs to share or reuse the dataset (e.g. Export, API)

Note

Less information can be displayed: it depends on which metadata have been set before the dataset was published. For the links to the visualizations and tabs of the dataset, more or less can be available: it depends on which visualizations and tabs are available for the dataset.

Note also that the catalog cards can be completely customized by the portal administrators.

To see more of the dataset, either click the catalog card or any of the quick links (see Looking up a dataset for more information about dataset information & visualizations).

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