Project Details

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Cork City Council delivered a pilot data visualisation project to transform selected open datasets into interactive dashboards, helping citizens and stakeholders explore key city insights more easily. The dashboards focus on trends such as pedestrian footfall, air quality, and traffic movement, presenting information in a more accessible and engaging way than raw dataset downloads alone.

Read more about the project

Cork City Council recently partnered with Derilinx on an open data pilot initiative focused on the visualisation of pedestrian footfall and air quality datasets. Derilinx’s expertise, professionalism and practical approach helped deepen our understanding of data quality and the complexities of transforming and visualising data. Their support helped us turn internal datasets into useful, accessible information, with dashboards highlighting the broader value of open data. This pilot laid solid groundwork  for future open data projects, and we look forward to building on this momentum together.

Claire Davis, Digital Officer at Cork City Council

Backgound

Cork City Council has been publishing open data for a number of years to support transparency, reuse, and innovation. While a wide range of datasets were already available through the Council’s open data portal, feedback indicated that many users found raw datasets difficult to interpret without technical skills.

The Council identified an opportunity to build on its existing open data foundation by introducing visualisation and dashboards that would make key datasets easier to explore and understand for a broader audience.

Objectives

The main objectives of the project were to:

  • Demonstrate how data visualisation can enhance the value of data.
  • Enable data-informed decision-making.
  • Gather and share knowledge about process of publishing data via the Open Data Portal.
  • Promote a culture of transparency and demonstrate the value of open data through success stories.

Solution

A set of interactive dashboards was developed using selected datasets from Cork City Council’s open data portal.

The dashboards were built using datAdore Insights, a data visualisation tool embedded within the data portal. Powered by the Apache Superset, this feature enables publishers to transform raw datasets into interactive dashboards, making the information more accessible, and easier to explore, understand and share.

Dashboard 1: Open Street Impact: AutumnFest (View Dashboard)

The dataset “AutumnFest Pedestrian Data” captures pedestrian footfall on the Sunday before the event, the Sunday of the event, and the three Sundays after, across different locations in the surrounding area. While the raw data was comprehensive, its value wasn’t easily accessible. Derilinx transformed it into interactive dashboards that tell the story of how people moved through the area before, during, and after the event. Each section includes insights to guide interpretation, helping visitors understand both the data and the story behind it.

Dataset Tabular Format
Footfall dataset in tabular format
Cork City Footfall Dashboard
Footfall dataset tuned into an interactive dashboard

Dashboard 2: Telraam Street Activity Cork City AutumnFest 2024 (View Dashboard)

This dashboard aggregates data from four Telraam S2 Sensors strategically placed throughout the city. The Telraam Sensors were installed as part of a collaborative smart street data pilot by the Cork Smart Gateway, Cork City Council, Cork Business Association and The VQ. The dashboard looking at street activity before, during and after AutumnFest 2024.

Cork City Telraam Street Activity Dashboard
Telraam Street Activity Dashboard

Dasboard 3: Cork Bike Air Quality Dashboard (View Dashboard)

This dashboard presents air quality data collected through the Smart Bike Project, a collaboration between Cork Smart Gateway and UCC Green Campus. Between 4 March and 12 June 2025, UCC students and staff used bike-mounted sensors to track air quality along their commutes, providing valuable insights into conditions across Cork City.

Air Quality Dashboard

Documentation

As part of the project deliverables, Derilinx produced a comprehensive, step-by-step training guide designed to help users get the most out of datAdore Insights (Superset). The guide walks through the entire process — from creating and editing charts, to adding explanatory markup text, to building and publishing full dashboards. By combining practical instructions with clear examples, it equips users with the knowledge and confidence to visualise their data effectively and share meaningful insights.

datAdore Insights/Tango Customised Guide

Project Reflections

The dashboards have sparked new conversations around data across departments, showing that the value of the information extends well beyond its original purpose. The project also highlighted the importance of considering accessibility and transparency from the outset, ensuring data can be easily understood and reused. In addition, it has helped to identify and address a range of data challenges, creating opportunities for further improvement and collaboration.

For Cork City Council, this pilot project represents another milestone in their open data journey and creates a strong basis for future initiatives

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