This text reports on the impact of a training course offered by a multiplier trainer from the School of Data network.
On June 26 and 27, 2025, I led a two-part training for people interested in learning how to clean and organise data. The training was based on the online course ‘Quality and Consistent Data with Open Data Editor’.
Objectives:
The goal was to show participants how to:
- Upload a dataset
- Check for mistakes in the data
- Add helpful information (metadata) that explains the dataset clearly.
The training brought together a small but diverse group. We had: students, a university lecturer and civil servants (14 participants).
Some participants joined from outside Akwa Ibom State. To make this possible, we started with a virtual session on June 26, to enable them to participate. It helped everyone get familiar with the Open Data Editor (ODE) and ask questions ahead of the in-person session.
The physical session was held on June 27 in Uyo, and lasted about 3 hours. Participants worked with a real dataset downloaded from https://data.humdata.org/ & https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.GROW?end=2024&locations=NG
We used this dataset to:
- Remove blank rows
- Fix column headers
- Spot missing or duplicate data
- Add simple but clear metadata (like title, description, license, and source)
Everyone had the chance to follow along and try it on their own. We also talked about what makes a good dataset and why clean, well-described data is important.
Many public datasets in Nigeria are hard to use because they are messy or missing context. This training helped participants see how they can fix that using simple tools. It also helped them understand why well-organised data is useful; whether they’re writing a report, doing research, or working in a government office.
Testimonials
“This is my first time using a tool like this. I didn’t know cleaning data could be this straightforward.”
Joel Orok, Physics student at the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State
About the Open Data Editor
The Open Data Editor (ODE) is Open Knowledge’s new open source desktop application for nonprofits, data journalists, activists, and public servants, aiming at helping them detect errors in their datasets. It’s a free, open-source tool designed for people working with tabular data (Excel, Google Sheets, CSV) who don’t know how to code or don’t have the programming skills to automatise the data exploration process.
Simple, lightweight, privacy-friendly, and built for real-world challenges like offline work and low-resource settings, ODE is part of Open Knowledge’s initiative The Tech We Want — our ambitious effort to reimagine how technology is built and used.
And there’s more! ODE comes with a free online course that can help you improve the quality of your datasets, therefore making your life/work easier.
↪ Take the course: Learn how to use ODE
All of Open Knowledge’s work with the Open Data Editor is made possible thanks to a charitable grant from the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation. Learn more about its funding programmes here.
