What is LDES?
A Linked Data Event Stream (LDES) is a new data publishing approach which allows you to publish any dataset as a collection of immutable objects. The focus of an LDES is to allow clients to replicate the history of a dataset and efficiently synchronize with its latest changes.
At the heart, a Linked Data Event Stream can be interpreted as a publishing strategy by which a data provider allows multiple third parties to stay in sync with the latest version of the data source in a resource and cost-effective manner. In that sense, LDES is a way out from the so-called "API maintenance hell", as described by Pieter Colpaert from UGent.
LDES Implementation - Challenges and Benefits
Linked Data Event Streams could be used to maintain and open up reference datasets to foster interoperability by advocating the reuse of the identifiers for which they are the authoritative source.
This way, they tackle two often occurring challenges while trying to stay in sync with a data source.
- On the one hand, data publishers could provide periodical data dumps or version materializations, which users have to fully download to stay up to date with the dataset.
- With a querying API, on the other hand, users can query the dataset without first having to download the entire dataset.
Trying to meet the needs of their reusers, data publishers will have to provide and maintain an increasing amount of such querying APIs as specific end-user features are solved by creating feature specific APIs.
However both data dumps and querying APIs will never fully meet the needs of their end-users, as a data dump gives a possibly outdated view on the dataset, whereas a querying API provides its client only with a partial view of the dataset.
How can SEMIC support?
SEMIC can provide support for all Member States or organizations who would like to gain insights on how a LDES might be a solution for their problem.
- Implementation pilots: SEMIC provides the specifications on LDES as the main starting point for all interested parties. Our team of experts can also provide further support by collaborating with the public administrations technical teams, to ensure optimal implementation.
- Strategy and roadmap: We can support in identifying possible use cases in your organisation and help you in defining a set of concrete implementation steps to progressively and effectively adopt LDES.
- Knowledge sharing: SEMIC can provide knowledge sharing sessions in the form of webinars or even 1:1 roadshows in which key stakeholders are given the chance to exchange experiences and best practices:
Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions on the topic on LDES.
SEMIC TV
Interested in the linked data event streams and how SEMIC contributes to it? Here is what Pieter Colpaert, Professor at IDLab (Ghent University) would like to share with you!
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