Introduction
This guidebook aims to clarify the mechanism for using open data through the various formats provided by the Open Data Platform and to introduce supporting programs, in addition to the Application Programming Interface (API) usage guide. The Riyadh Municipality has been keen to provide open data in multiple and diverse formats to achieve maximum benefit from open data, in accordance with global best practices.
Below is an explanation of each of the formats provided by the platform:
-1 EXCEL
These are files that contain spreadsheets in Excel format. You can view these tables by installing a free Excel viewer program.
-2 CVS
These are simple text files where each line of text corresponds to a row in the table, and columns are separated by a comma or semicolon.
-3 JSON
You can open these files using various tools, such as Microsoft Excel, Notepad, and others.
-4 Java Script
It is a data format that allows the definition of complex data structures, specifically used in web programming. Although considered part of a programming language, it is widely adopted as an alternative to the XML format. You can open these files using various web browsers, Microsoft Word, Excel, Notepad, or others.
-4 XML
It is a file format for specifying hierarchically structured data. This format is easily readable by many programming languages, and can be opened using various web browsers, Microsoft Word, or Notepad.