Who publishes data on this site

All datasets on data.gov.scot are published by the Scottish Government or a Scottish public body.

Scottish public bodies are:

  • Scottish Government directorates and agencies

  • Scottish local authorities – known as local councils

  • NHS Scotland health boards and their supporting bodies

  • non-departmental public bodies and executive agencies

  • other public sector organisations operating in Scotland

Every dataset includes details of the organisation that published it.

Find out who published a dataset

Each dataset page shows the publishing organisation.

To find datasets from a specific organisation:

  • use the organisation filter on the data page

  • browse organisations from the homepage

Why this matters

Knowing who publishes a dataset can help you understand its scope and purpose.

For example:

  • data from a local council usually covers that council’s area

  • data from a national body usually covers the whole of Scotland

If you have a question about a dataset

Contact the publisher. They can explain:

  • how the data is collected

  • when it will be updated

Each dataset page includes a contact email address. You can find it:

  • in the details panel at the top of the page

  • in the metadata section of the page

You can also find the contact email address in the details panel of the explore page.

If you have a question about the data.gov.scot site

If you cannot find an answer in our guidance, contact the Open Data team.

How to publish data on this site

Scottish Government and public body staff publish datasets using the Open Data Publisher. Members of the public cannot publish datasets directly.

If you work for a public body and want to publish data, contact the Open Data team for advice. They can:

  • set up your account on the Open Data Publisher

  • help you get started publishing data on data.gov.scot