Open & Shared Data Newsletter

Q2 2026 - Issue #18

Quote of the month

"With data collection, 'the sooner the better' is always the answer"

— Marissa Mayers

Blog & News

A Century Uncovered: Bringing the 1926 Irish Census to Life

The 1926 Irish Census is now live, opening up a century-old snapshot of life in Ireland. Led by the National Archives of Ireland, in collaboration with technical partners, the platform combines searchable data, interactive mapping and digitised records to support research, discovery and personal exploration at scale.

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Public Service API Standards: A Practical Guide Beyond the Checklist

In November 2025, OGCIO published the Public Service API Standards and Guidelines, setting a common baseline for how all PSBs should build and manage APIs. Most of it you look up and follow. A smaller number involve decisions that are expensive to reverse once an API is live. This post breaks down what the standards mean in practice.

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Svenska kraftnät launches data.svk.se – Sweden’s energy data, built on open standards

Svenska kraftnät has launched SVK Data Service, a new open data portal for Sweden's electricity market built on Linked Open Data principles. The goal was data that other systems can find, fetch and understand, without further work on the receiving end. This is not a standard data portal, and it is worth explaining why.

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Equal Aqua - Breaking Barriers' Dashboard - 2026 Updates

The Equal Aqua "Breaking Barriers" dashboard has been updated for 2026. Now covering 300+ water institutions across 50+ countries, the latest release introduces a new interactive map, refreshed design, and expanded content, making it easier than ever to explore gender equality data in the water sector.

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Inside data.gov.ie

Impact Stories

The Impact Stories section of data.gov.ie just had a refresh, and it's looking better than ever. The page showcases real-world examples of open data in action, telling a story with the data itself. In doing so, it directly demonstrates the impact that open data can have. It's a great resource for anyone looking to understand the tangible benefits of open data in an Irish context, and a reminder that open data isn't just about publication, it's about what people do with it.

Check the stories

Do you have a data impact story or showcase project you'd like to share on data.gov.ie?

Reach out to the Open Data Unit at opendata@per.gov.ie.

Open Data Around the World

INSPIRE datasets move to the European Data Portal

From 1 July 2026, INSPIRE datasets will be searchable and accessible through the European Data Portal, making it easier to discover geospatial information alongside millions of other public sector datasets from across Europe. As part of this transition, the INSPIRE Geoportal will be retired on 1 July 2026.