Creating a Data Source

Snapshot

The Source Creator allows you to stream an existing Data Source to your city's data portal. Create a new data source using any of our official 50+ data types.

At the end of this tutorial, you’ll be able to

• Create your own Data Source using an existing Data Type.

View of the Data Sources with Create Source highlighted

Navigate to the Data Source Creator

In Stae, data is categorized by Data Types such as 911 calls, 311 calls, or bike share trip data. Within each Data Type, is a Data Source which is comprised of individual data points. To put this in practical terms, consider the following scenario:

In a weekly meeting, the urban planning department wants to digitize its permitting system to keep track of all the new construction happening downtown. The planning department works with the city’s IT department to build an online permitting system, which works by adding data to a CSV file on a regular interval. In Stae, we have an official Data Type just for permits called Building Permits.

Building Permit Data Type

To start importing your permitting data to Stae, you need to create a Data Source for the CSV file (think: mailing address so your permitting data knows where to go). Below is the step-by-step process on how to do that.

Step 1: Name and describe your source

Create a new Data Source by first adding a short name and description

Step 2: Publish your source

Publish the Source to your city (in this case Seattle) and make it visible to the public since the source originates from an open data portal. Stae Admins can select different visibility permissions based on their needs.

Step 3: Select your Data Type

Select the Data Type that maps to your Data Source. In this example, select the Building Permits Data Type.

Step 4: Start importing your data

When you're done making the source, if you select Fetch, it will take you straight to the importer builder. Selecting Send will take you the data details page with an API endpoint and the respective source's schema.

4. Data Capture Point

Finally, on this last step, you’ll select either Fetch or Send for your data source.

Selecting Fetch is best in situations where your data is updated on a regular interval by a third party. Typically, this will come in the form of a CSV file, although check with your vendor or your IT team on what format your data comes in. Stae currently supports the following formats: JSON, CSV, XML, Excel, and SHP. Selecting Save after this will take you to the Importer Page, where you can copy your data source URL, select an interval for your data to be uploaded, and map the fields of your data to the source you just created. For your initial data sets, your Stae City Team will walk you through the Importer stage.

Selecting Send will take you straight to the Data Details page of your newly created data source. Selecting the send tab on the importer section will reveal an endpoint URL for the source. Copy that key into your application or sensor script to begin sending data.

After completing the source creation tool, you can choose to add your Data Source to the city’s official Data Sources by clicking the Add button on the source’s detail page. If you choose to do this at a later date, you can find your data source in either the Community Tab or in the Personal Sources Tab.

Stae Inspired

“Infrastructure is much more important than architecture.”
Rem Koolhaas, 2016

Have any questions or running into issues with this feature?
Reach us at: support@stae.co