FIND.DATA.GOV.SCOT

Overview — Find.data.gov.scot is an intelligent search solution that enhances the discoverability of Scottish public data through enriched metadata and AI. Its purpose is to improve awareness of and access to Scotland's public data.

How it is used — Researchers, analysts, scientists and policymakers need easy access to relevant data, but discoverability is often hampered by inconsistent metadata and the varied ways data is published, and data providers often lack insight into how their data is used. To address this, the Scottish Government's Digital Directorate and NatureScot partnered with Dtechtive.com through the CivTech programme to create the service. It is Scotland's largest public data search engine, using intelligently enhanced metadata and search algorithms to make data more discoverable regardless of how it is published; because it adopts appropriate metadata standards, the data is also searchable through Google Dataset Search. At its core is an API that can be integrated into other applications so data can be found from anywhere, and it offers data providers insights into user behaviour and metadata quality along with a Language-AI-powered metadata generator to standardise and improve metadata. The platform is continuously expanding with new public and commercial datasets, and users can create free accounts to explore it and provide feedback.

- Facilitates more joined-up and efficient policy making by improving the discoverability of Scotland's data sets, ensuring decisions are made with data and evidence at their core.