Introduction
The LOD2 PUBLINK consultancy service is one of the major LOD2 dissemination and training activities that helps to reach an interested audience in Linked Open Data technology and to provide training in this field as well as consultancy to solve concrete problems on the side of the PUBLINK applicants.
The PUBLINK service follows a multi-level approach. The first level started in October 2010 by offering consultancy for Linked Data Publishing. The second level started in October 2011 by offering services in the area of Linked Open data Publishing, Linked Open data Consuming and/or LOD browsing / searching, etc.
The application for this first level of PUBLINK was open from the end of September 2010 until December 20, 2010. Detailed information on the call for applications can be found on the LOD2 website: http://lod2.eu/Article/Publink.html. The application for the second level was open from October 2011 to early January 2012 – for details see: http://lod2.eu/Article/Call_2011.html.
The LOD2 PUBLINK service (both calls 2010 and 2011) was actively promoted via all available LOD2 communication channels as well as in presentations and bilateral meetings by all LOD2 consortium members.
Winners of Call 2011
After the successful Publink Call 2011 the six winners were chosen by the LOD2 consortium in early 2012 as follows:
- Food and Agricure Organisation of UN (FAO, http://www.fao.org/) with http://data.fao.org located in Rome, Italy – LOD2 contact partner: SWC
- Municipality of Udine (Municipality of Udine), Italy – LOD2 contact partner: ULEI
- European Envrionment Agency (EEA, http://www.eea.europa.eu/) – LOD2 contact partner: TenForce and NUIG/ DERI
- Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia (http://webrzs.stat.gov.rs/WebSite/) – LOD2 contact partner: IMP
- Birmingham City Council (http://birmingham.gov.uk/) – LOD2 contact partner: OGL
- Bezirksverordnetenversammlung Berlin Kreuzberg (BVV, http://www.berlin.de/ba-neukoelln/bvv/buero.html) – LOD2 contact partner: ULEI
Procedure of Consultancy and Next Steps
In a first step a lead partner for each of the 6 above named successful applicants was identified by the LOD2 consortium (see above). This lead partner is responsible to manage the communication with the respective applicant, i.e. this LOD2 partner is the main contact point for the respective PUBLINK applicant.
In a next step the requirements of all six PUBLINK applicants will be evaluated (already in progress) and documented by the LOD2 consortium. Furthermore, consulting teams will be built based on the expertise needed for the applicant and the procedure of the consultancy will be specified in detail. After this step the consultancy service will be provided in the form of consulting and training, both remote and on site, as well as in the form of concrete technical support to publish information and data sets of the applicants in the form of Linked (Open) Data.
