Summer Open Data: Featured Apps and Resources

Between ice cream and longer days, summer is here. At this time of year, open information can become our best ally to plan getaways, know schedules of the bathing areas in our community or even know the state of traffic on roads that take us to our next destination.

Whether you're on the move or at home resting, you can find a wide variety of datasets and apps  on the datos.gob.es portal that can transform the way you live and enjoy the summer. In addition, if you want to take advantage of the summer season to train, we also have resources for you.

Training, rest or adventure, in this post, we offer you some of the resources that can be useful this summer.

An opportunity to learn: courses and cultural applications

Are you thinking of making a change in your professional career? Or would you like to improve in a discipline? Data science is one of the most in-demand skills for companies and artificial intelligence offers new opportunities every day to apply it in our day-to-day lives.

To understand both disciplines well and be up to date with their development, you can take advantage of the summer to train in programming, data visualization or even generative AI. In this post, which we published at the beginning of summer, you have a list of proposals, you are still in time to sign up for some!

If you already have some knowledge, we advise you to review our step-by-step exercises. In each of them you will find the code reproducible and fully documented, so you can replicate it at your own pace. In this infographic we show you several examples, divided by themes and level of difficulty. A practical way to test your technical skills and learn about innovative tools and technologies.

If instead of data science, you want to take advantage of it to gain more cultural knowledge, we also have options for you. First of all, we recommend this dataset on the cultural agenda of events in the Basque Country to discover festivals, concerts and other cultural activities. Another  interesting dataset is that of tourist information offices in Tenerife where they will inform you how to plan cultural itineraries. And this application will accompany you on a tour of Castilla y León through a gamified map to identify tourist places of interest.

Plan your perfect getaway: datasets for tourism and vacations

Some of the open datasets you can find on datos.gob.es are the basis for creating applications that can be very useful for travel. We are talking, for example, about the dataset of campsites in Navarre that provides updated data on active tourism camps, including information on services, location and capacity. In this same autonomous community, this dataset on restaurants and cafeterias may be useful to you.

On the other hand, this dataset on the supply of tourist accommodation in Aragon presents a complete catalogue of hotels, inns and hostels classified by category, allowing travellers to make informed decisions according to their budget and preferences.

Another interesting resource is this dataset published by  the National Institute of Statistics, which you can also find federated in datos.gob.es on trips, overnight stays, average duration and expenditure per trip. Thanks to this dataset, you can get an idea of how people travel and take it as a reference to plan your trip.

Enjoy the Water: Open Datasets for Water Activities

Access to information about beaches and bathing areas is essential for a safe and pleasant summer. The Bizkaia beach dataset  provides detailed information on the characteristics of each beach, including available services, accessibility and water conditions. Similarly, this dataset of bathing areas in the Community of Madrid provides data on safe and controlled aquatic spaces in the region.

If you want a more general view, this application developed by the Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge (MITECO) with open data offers a national visualization of beaches at the national level. More recently, RTVE's data team has developed this Great Map of Spain's beaches that includes more than 3,500 destinations with specific information.

For lovers of water sports and sailing,  tide prediction datasets  for  both Galicia and  the Basque Country offer crucial information for planning activities at sea. This data allows boaters, surfers and fishermen to optimize their activities according to ocean conditions.

Smart mobility: datasets for hassle-free travel

It is not news that mobility during these months is even greater than in the rest of the year. Datasets  on traffic conditions in Barcelona and the roads in Navarra provide real-time information that helps travellers avoid congestion and plan efficient routes. This information is especially valuable during periods of increased summer mobility, when roads experience a significant increase in traffic.

The applications that provide information on the price of fuel at the different Spanish petrol stations are among the most consulted on our portal throughout the year, but in summer their popularity skyrockets even more. They are interesting because they allow you to locate the service stations with the most competitive prices, optimizing the travel budget. This information can also be found in regularly updated datasets and is especially useful for long trips and route planning.

The future of open data in tourism

The convergence of open data, mobile technology and artificial intelligence is creating new opportunities to personalize and enhance the tourism experience. The datasets and resources available in datos.gob.es not only provide current information, but also serve as a basis for the development of innovative solutions that can anticipate needs, optimize resources, and create more satisfying experiences for travelers.

From route planning to selecting accommodations or finding cultural activities, these datasets and apps empower citizens and are a useful resource to maximize the enjoyment of this time of year. This summer, before you pack your bags, it's worth exploring the possibilities offered by open data.