As part of the NEOLAiA Open Science initiative carried out in WP8 (Adopting and Sustaining Open Science), two SPOD online training sessions were organized on 13 May and 21 May. The training was open to WP8 members and all interested participants from NEOLAiA partner universities and aimed to provide hands on experience with the Social Platform for Open Data – SPOD.
Session 1: getting started with SPOD
The first session focused on introducing SPOD, a collaborative platform designed to facilitate open data collection, visualization and discussion. Developed as part of the NEOLAiA Open Science initiative, it improves access to open data and fosters community engagement through structured discussions and collaborative data creation. SPOD facilitates real-time data interaction, allowing users to create, discuss and validate datasets in co-creation spaces that look and function like shared spreadsheets.
Participants explored SPOD’s key features, including:
“What’s New” feed, the main page for viewing user activity in real time;
- Members area, where users can browse, connect and interact with other members of the platform;
- MySpace, a private workspace where users can organize, create and save data-related content for later use;
- Agora, an open discussion area where users can create or join “public rooms” for collaborative discussions,
- Events, where users can browse both upcoming and past events;
- Co-Creation, a dynamic collaborative space where users come together to build and refine data rooms.
Session 2: creating visualizations with Datalets
The second training session introduced Datalets, SPOD’s feature for creating dynamic visualizations from Open Data. SPOD supports OD platforms such as CKAN/TET and other external sources.
Attendees learned how to create and share meaningful data-driven insights to increase transparency, informed decision-making, and data literacy across the NEOLAiA network.
These two SPOD training sessions underline NEOLAiA’s strong commitment to promoting Open Science and fostering digital collaboration within its network. By providing participants with the necessary skills to use SPOD platform for data creation, visualization and sharing, the initiative plays a key role in promoting transparency, data literacy and informed decision-making. The active engagement of WP8 members and other partners highlights the importance of collaborative platforms in driving innovative research and sustaining the Open Science movement across the NEOLAiA Alliance.
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