Archive of posts with tag 'Standards'
Library JSON →
April 16, 2020 • #Tom Critchlow proposes an open format to create a decentralized, open web version of what Goodreads does — a book social network.
Thinking through building some kind of “web of books” I realized that we could use something similar to RSS to build a kind of decentralized GoodReads powered by indie sites and an underlying easy to parse format.
I created a proof of concept by converting my own bookshelf into a JSON file https://tomcritchlow.com/library.json.
I made some changes a while back to move in this direction with schema.org structured tags. This moves that idea in a more workable direction, I think.
RFC Reader →
February 23, 2020 • #This tool lets you plunge back into computing history and read the RFCs published over the years since the early days of the ARPANET. I’ve been reading Where Wizards Stay Up Late, which tells the interesting story behind how RFCs came to be the medium for proposing standards on the internet.
A few notable ones:
Humanitarian Exchange Language →
April 22, 2019 • #Last week I learned about HXL, a “data markup” standard to help humanitarian orgs more easily share and combine datasets. Datasets from different producers or agencies may actually contain the same type of data — admin boundary codes, population counts, geolocations — but with nonstandard column headings. Merging and combining datasets like this means breaking out the metadata documents (if they exist), renaming columns, and ETLing the data into a usable form. The HXL standard means an agency can insert an extra row with a hashtag-like identifier for what’s in that column. So things like:
- #adm1 +code
- #loc +name
- #population
Each of these has a consistent definition, so authorities providing data can make sure their stuff aligns with a preexisting standard for interoperability. Agencies like the IOM, USAID, and Red Cross are already supporting it. I’m interested to see what we can do here with Fulcrum Community.