Open Data Search Framework based on Semi-structured Query Patterns

Open government data (OGD) is a global initiative to promote transparency, service innovation and citizen participation. OGD is usually made available in forms of datasets on OGD web portals. Searching OGD is usually conducted using metadata search on OGD catalogs. Although searching OGD based on metadata or full-text search is common, it cannot take full advantage of the structured data content in the datasets. By being able to query data in the datasets, the user can find the relevant information more effectively. This paper proposes an open data search framework based on semi-structured query patterns. The proposed semi-structured query pattern has more structured than typical keyword search which will allow for more expressive query. It is also less rigid than structured query which reduces the user effort in forming a query. Three query patterns are currently supported and can be converted to API requests to the existing dataset APIs of Data.go.th. The query suggestion module of the system can make suggestions for possible queries based on the user’s initial typing. A prototype system was created to demonstrate searching some datasets from Data.go.th using this approach. Finally, we discuss some lessons learned and current limitations that should be improved in future work.