Some changes were made to the Data.gov.uk website last week. I wrote a feedback post highlighting functionality that had been removed, as well as a couple of bugs. The most significant problem is probably the erasure of posting histories, which strongly discourages any kind of sustained user participation on the site.
This follow-up post covers two additional issues I've discovered subsequently. The first is that a shedload of documents has gone missing from the Library section of the site. The second is that explanatory notes on the progress of individual dataset requests have been removed.
-- Owen Boswarva, 21/10/2013
Missing attachments in the Library
The day after the Data.gov.uk update, I noticed that the recently posted draft Defra Open Data Strategy had disappeared from the site. I flagged this to Defra and Data.gov.uk and the document was quickly restored. A member of the Cabinet Office's transparency team told me that the document had "stayed back on the old servers for some reason" and indicated that he considered it a "minor issue". I don't myself consider this to be a minor issue, given that the document was at the time the subject of an open public consultation. However as the document was the most recent addition to the Library I assumed it was probably a one-off problem.
Unfortunately I've now had a further look through the Library and quite a few other attachments have disappeared. As examples, I've listed below ten Library pages that are missing at least 60 attachments in total.
As far as I can tell this problem only affects attachments, and not other material on the site such as comments and catalogue entries. However I cannot confirm that definitively because posting histories are unavailable and National Archives makes backups of Data.gov.uk pages only sporadically.
Government response to Shakespeare review (Google cache)
ODUG response to Ofcom PAF Review consultation (Google cache)
Minutes of Open Data User Group 14 May 2013 (Google cache)
Local Public Data Panel Meeting - Thirteenth Meeting 2 March 2012 (Google cache)
Local Public Data Panel Meeting - Fourteenth Meeting 1 May 2012 (Google cache)
Local Public Data Panel - Response to Government Open Standards Consultation June 2012 (no Google cache)
Local Public Data Panel Meeting - Fifteenth Meeting 4 July 2012 (Google cache)
Local Public Data Panel Meeting - Sixteenth Meeting 26 September 2012 (Google cache)
Local Public Data Panel Meeting - Seventeenth Meeting 5 Dec 2012 (Google cache)
Local Public Data Panel Meeting - Eighteenth Meeting 5 February 2013 (Google cache)
Notes missing from open data requests
Requests for release of open data are submitted to the Open Data User Group via a form on Data.gov.uk.
Public dataset requests (of which there are now more than 400) are periodically read and assigned a status by either a member of the ODUG or someone from the Cabinet Office. (That bit isn't always clear.)
In most instances the person who assigns the status to the request also adds an explanatory note.
All of those explanatory notes disappeared in last week's update to Data.gov.uk.
I have given three examples below. The notes explain why the status has been assigned and are important to understanding the position on individual data requests. In many cases they either provide pointers on accessing data that is already available or link to business cases that the ODUG has developed for release of the data.
World Heritage Sites - Wales (Google cache)
"Notes: The data you have requested is held by a devolved Administration (Wales) Please submit an FOI request to the Welsh Government. Please let us know if you are successful in getting the data relased and we will update the status of this request."
Public Rights of Way (Google cache)
"Notes: This data request has been included in the work ODUG is undertaking on third party licences and Rights of Way. For further information, please see http://data.gov.uk/open-data-user-group-benefits-cases-for-release-of-data"
Register of Charities, England and Wales (Google cache)
"Notes: Further to the publication of the Government Response to the Shakespeare Review of Public Sector Information, the Charity Commission Register of Charities is scheduled for publication by April 2014 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-response-to-shakespeare-review"
Last update to this page: 21/10/2013