CharityViz: Making IATI data easily accessible from web sites
IATI is a global transparency standard that makes information about aid spending easier to access, use and understand. This data has been made available as linked data on Kasabi at http://kasabi.com/dataset/iati, but this is not in a form suitable for `regular' consumption. To address this we have created the CharityViz jQuery plugin, designed to be simple to use on any page from project web sites to blogs. By adding a few lines of HTML to the page, projects in the IATI dataset that are marked in the text can be visualized. When rolled over, a map is shown with the project location, and some basic information is given. When clicked, a full description is shown, transactions are detailed, and contact information for the organisation is provided. There is also a link back to the original data from which the visualisation was created.
The team has backgrounds in Linked Data and web development, and are keen to make this data more accessible. CharityViz was the ideal opportunity - making data that might otherwise remain hidden visible.
The first version of the jQuery plugin is available to download and install, and works well! For more details see our presentation
We've had positive feedback from members of the IATI community, even before completion.
