Using the beta service
What beta means, what you can do during beta and how the service will develop.
data.gov.scot is a beta service.
This means the service is live and available to use, but we’re still testing and improving it. We use the beta phase to test how well the service meets user needs.
Following the Digital Scotland Service Manual guidance for beta, we:
provide a working service that people can use
test and improve the service with real users
continue to make improvements over time
You may notice changes to features, content or design as we improve the service.
What you can do
During beta, we’re focusing on the features that help people find, understand and use data.
You can:
search for datasets across organisations and topics
filter and sort results
view dataset information and metadata
preview data where available
download data in different formats
access data through APIs (Application Programming Interface)
explore metadata in formats such as DCAT and Schema.org
Data publishers can also use a publishing service to manage and publish datasets.
How the service will develop
We’re building data.gov.scot in phases. Features and priorities may change based on user needs and feedback.
Phase 1 (beta)
We’re launching a core service focused on essential features for finding, accessing and publishing data.
Phase 2
We’ll expand the service by:
bringing together more data, including spatial and remote sensing data
improving search and data discovery through geospatial maps
Phase 3
We’ll continue to develop the service by:
adding more datasets and features
supporting local area statistics
Sharing feedback
Your feedback helps us improve the service.
To share feedback:
use the feedback banner on the service to tell us what is working and what is not
complete the contact forms on data.gov.scot and the Open Data Publisher service
Contact the Open Data team by email: contact@data.gov.scot
We use feedback to:
identify problems and opportunities for improvement
prioritise future work
test and refine new features
We review feedback regularly and use what we learn to improve the service over time.