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2. Considerations Before You Start

Note

This section is designed primarily as a summary tool and should not be used in place of more detailed operational and technical documentation elsewhere in this site.

2.1. Introduction (Before you start)

This section provides ‘at a glance’ lists of items that new members will need to consider in order to meet operational requirements. It may also be useful for existing members to revisit when they publish (Data Providers) or access (Data Consumers) a new dataset.

As Open Energy evolves, this section will be updated to form a definitive checklist for compliance. At present however, it is designed to outline general considerations regarding skills, capabilities and tasks that organisations will require in order to take part in the Open Energy ecosystem.

The tables below outline considerations for Data Providers and Data Consumers. Each item includes a suggestion of its relevance to different areas of readiness: commercial, operational, technical, and legal. It is suggested that prospective members proactively engage teams or staff members with responsibilities for the above four areas of readiness prior to joining Open Energy as members. Please note that this section is designed to support members to prepare for data sharing. However, sharing of real data will not commence until the OEGS goes fully live.

2.2. Considerations for Data Providers

Consideration

Includes

Readiness area(s)

Membership contract and fees

  • Contract review by legal counsel

  • Contract signature by person with appropriate authority

  • Membership fees paid

Legal, commercial

Onboarding to the Directory

  • Generic contact email addresses and organisation details provided to Open Energy for publishing in the Directory

  • Software statement created (instructions)

  • Transport certificate created (instructions)

Operational, technical

Metadata file creation

Applies to all datasets, both Open Data and Shared Data:

  • Metadata file created for each dataset

  • Metadata file published and available on a public web server (such as public GitHub repo)

  • Records of the metadata file location created (instructions)

  • Verification that Open Energy automated processes have picked up the file and surfaced contents in Search

Technical

Secure API creation and deployment compliant with Open Energy subset of FAPI specification

For example, using one of the following methods:

  1. Deploy a Data Provider API to EC2 using the walkthrough here

  2. Use our Python Support Library to build a Data Provider API on your own infrastructure

  3. Create a Data Provider based on the FAPI subset defined in Common Security Requirements using your choice of language and deployment infrastructure

Technical

Creation of a rule, or rules, for each dataset and publication of rule(s) in the metadata file

Operational, commercial, technical

Internal legal sign-off for rules

  • Internal legal advice sought on converting any existing Shared data licenses into Open Energy Capabilities and Obligations

  • Internal legal sign-off granted for the creation of all data ‘access rules <Access Control and Capability Grant Language>’

Legal

Skills

  • Technical personnel can use Python programming language, or adapt existing Open Energy code and tooling to alternative language(s) that are used internally

  • Technical personnel understand the basics of the FAPI authorization process as described in Common Security Requirements

Technical

2.3. Considerations for Data Consumers

Consideration

Includes

Readiness area(s)

Membership contract and fees

  • Contract review by legal counsel

  • Contract signature by person with appropriate authority

  • Membership fees paid

Legal, commercial

Onboarding to the Directory

  • Generic contact email addresses and organisation details provided to Open Energy for publishing in the Directory

  • Software statement created (instructions)

  • Transport certificate created (instructions)

Operational, technical

Locate Shared data sets

Use of Open Energy Search

Operational, technical

Access Shared Data

Methods including one of the following:

  1. Use a web-based Python integrated development environment of your choice (e.g. Jupyter-Lab, Google Collab, or similar) to access and display Shared data (step-by-step video)

  2. Use Open Energy’s Python library to access Shared data from your own code (example)

  3. Use tools or languages of your choice to access a Shared Data API.

Technical

Use Shared data in compliance with the appropriate licence model

  • Ensure your organisation - and any individuals handling the data - have a clear understanding of Open Energy Capabilities and Obligations for the use of datasets

  • Gain internal legal sign-off for data use, if applicable

  • Payment of related fees to the Data Provider if applicable

For Data Consumers which are also Service Providers:

  • Check your understanding of the onward sharing permissions for any data, or derivatives, you are passing onto your customers.

  • Before passing on data or derivatives to your customers, ensure your organisation - and any individuals handling the data - have a clear understanding of Open Energy capabilities and obligations associated with onward sharing of data, and of the data pyramid.

All

Business planning

For Data Consumers who are Service Providers:

  • Establish or review your business model for providing services based on, or linked to, data access via Open Energy in alignment with the agreed capabilities and access controls for the datasets the service will rely on.

  • Where a service uses multiple datasets, including those beyond Open Energy, ensure that licences are compatible to the service being provided and that all licences are appropriately credited.

Commercial