Sector content and pathways

Local information: publish verifiable territorial data

A local page answers a specific question on a territory. Its value depends on identifiable sources, useful dates and an announced scope, rather than automatically adding a common name to a generic text.

These files describe preparation methods. They do not present customer achievements and do not replace the validation of information by the organization concerned.

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Card, notebook, magnifying glass and camera on a table
Illustration

Identify the right territory

Use a stable administrative code in addition to the name and check the relationship between municipality, department and region. A postal code is not a unique identifier of a municipality. When a perimeter changes, keep track of the source and the validity date instead of mixing multiple cuts.

Separate facts and services offered

a geographical data describes a territory; It does not prove an on-site agency, a partner or a past intervention. Explain the actual support method offered. An example of a local project remains a scenario as long as no documented realization allows it to be presented otherwise.

Contextualize numbers

For a population or a number of establishments, indicate the vintage, the perimeter and the source. The date of consultation of a file does not replace the year of the data. A comparison requires compatible definitions; An unknown number should be reported, not estimated to complete a box.

Organize territorial routes

A regional then departmental index avoids exposing a very long list of similar pages. Give links to truly useful additional information. When a municipality page does not bring anything distinct, a grouping into the relevant territory can better serve the visitor.

Prepare for the next check

Assign a data manager and another, if necessary, to the editorial text. Control Codes, Attachments, Duplicates, and Source Links in each import. Document preserved fields and exclusions so that the scope is not interpreted as comprehensive coverage.

Information to gather before writing

  • Stable code and verified attachment
  • Announced coverage scope
  • vintage of each number
  • Sources and date of consultation
  • Distinction between scenario and production

For each item, keep the source, the person validating it and the language versions concerned. Missing information must become a question to solve, never a value invented to fill the page.

Learning scenario

A scenario for planning the user journey

Preparation exercise: A reader is looking for information for a municipality, consults its source and then compares with the neighboring territory. Use dated public data and keep the administrative identifier, not just the name. Test two homonymous locations and one item missing from the dataset. An absence of data should not be rendered as a certain zero value. The page should explain the actual coverage and offer a link to the source when the reader wants to verify a change.

Documents and information to prepare

  • Stable administrative identifiers and official names
  • Public source and recovery date
  • Relations between municipality, department and region
  • Definition of fields and units used
  • List of missing or uncovered information

Acceptance criteria

These criteria are a working basis to adapt to the context. For each, note the action taken, the expected result, the observed result and the information remaining to be confirmed.

  1. two homonymous municipalities remain distinguishable.
  2. A territorial relationship comes from the dataset and not from the name.
  3. An absent field differs explicitly from the zero value.
  4. The source and recovery date are accessible.
  5. A name change maintains a consistent link strategy.
  6. A page indicates the coverage limits of its data.

Record results in the acceptance test log

Ongoing management and handover

Document the import: source, version, number of entries and discarded anomalies. Check credentials before merging similar records. When cutting changes, update the relationships, mesh and old URLs. Local content must remain proportionate to the information available; Adding a generic paragraph to each municipality does not replace a useful and verified data.

Organize site maintenance

Compare two approaches

Local content depends on its scope and updates. Compare a verified editorial selection with a larger database before multiplying pages by town.

Selection of verified services

When to choose it
Suitable when a team can verify a limited set of services. Explain selection criteria and information still awaiting confirmation.
What to plan for
Assign a source and owner to each entry. Allow corrections to be reported without automatic publication.

Structured territorial directory

When to choose it
Useful for places with identifiers, categories and usable sources. Link each entry to the territory it actually concerns.
What to plan for
Plan how to handle duplicates, closures and address changes. Distinguish administrative data from practical information verified with the service.

A risk to anticipate

A municipality name does not prove a business presence there. Specify the services actually covered and avoid unverified contact details or place photographs.

How to decide

Choose a pilot territory and check entries end to end. Observe missing information and correction time before extending coverage.

Explore this decision further

Frequently asked questions

Does a postal code identify a municipality?

It is used for postal routing and should not replace the administrative code to link datasets.

View data viewed this year as current?

The consultation and the vintage are distinct. Display the year specific to the data when it is available.

Do you need one page per municipality?

only if a distinct and verifiable content justifies it. An index and groupings can better cover a territory without repetitions.

Is a public source enough to publish a venue’s opening hours?

Check what the dataset describes and when it was updated. Seek the venue or service’s own source for practical opening hours. Missing data should remain unconfirmed rather than be inferred from a neighbouring establishment.

resources to deepen

Additional reference: Administrative cutting public API. The sectoral recommendations of this sheet are an editorial method; This reference does not certify the information specific to an establishment.

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