Custom Connector
Australian Capital Territory Connector
Australia
The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Connector integrates with the ACT Government Open Data Portal API, based on the Socrata Open Data API (SODA). It provides access to ACT Government datasets — searches, metadata, data rows, and exports in JSON, CSV, and GeoJSON — with optional API-key authentication for higher rate limits.
Overview
Integration Overview
This document provides a detailed guide for each integration point, its purpose, configuration, and workflow support using the ACT Government Open Data Portal Connector.
- searchDatasets. Search for datasets using various filters.
- getDatasetMetadata. Retrieve metadata for a specific dataset.
- getDataRows. Retrieve rows of data from a dataset with SODA queries.
- exportCsv. Export dataset rows as CSV.
- exportGeoJson. Export spatial dataset rows as GeoJSON.
- getCatalog. Retrieve the DCAT catalog of datasets.
Documentation
Detailed Integration Documentation
Search Datasets
| Action | searchDatasets |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Searches for datasets (views) in the ACT Open Data Portal using filters like category, domain, or keyword — the primary entry point for discovering datasets. |
| Configuration | Configure the base URL via CONNECTOR_ENV_ACTOPENDATAPORTALAPI_BASE_URL. Optionally provide an API key for higher rate limits. |
| Parameters | Optional: q (search query); domain; category; tag; limit (default 1000); offset (default 0); only (comma-separated fields); exclude (comma-separated fields); $$app_token. |
| Output | Successful: JSON with total, page, per_page, count, and a results array of dataset objects (id, name, description, category, createdAt). Failure: 400 Bad request. |
| Workflow example | Execute searchDatasets with q=environment and limit=10, then list relevant datasets for selection. |
Get Dataset Metadata
| Action | getDatasetMetadata |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Retrieves detailed metadata for a specific dataset (view) — columns, owner, and update timestamps — for evaluating a dataset before retrieval. |
| Configuration | Configure the base URL via CONNECTOR_ENV_ACTOPENDATAPORTALAPI_BASE_URL. Optionally provide an API key for higher rate limits. |
| Parameters | Required: id — dataset ID. Optional: $$app_token. |
| Output | Successful: JSON with resource metadata (id, name, description, columns array, owner details). Failure: 404 Not found. |
| Workflow example | Execute getDatasetMetadata with id=abcd-1234 to understand columns and data types before querying. |
Get Data Rows
| Action | getDataRows |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Retrieves rows from a dataset using SODA query parameters for filtering, selecting, and sorting — customized data extraction. |
| Configuration | Configure the base URL via CONNECTOR_ENV_ACTOPENDATAPORTALAPI_BASE_URL. Optionally provide an API key for higher rate limits. |
| Parameters | Required: id — dataset ID. Optional: $limit (default 1000); $offset (default 0); $where; $select; $order; $group; $having; q (full-text search); $$app_token. |
| Output | Successful: JSON with a results array of row objects (dynamic per dataset columns). Failure: 404 Not found. |
| Workflow example | Execute getDataRows with id=abcd-1234, $where=year=2023, $limit=50, then integrate into reporting tools. |
Export CSV / GeoJSON
| Action | exportCsv / exportGeoJson |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Exports dataset rows as a CSV file (offline analysis) or spatial rows as GeoJSON (geospatial applications and mapping). |
| Configuration | Configure the base URL via CONNECTOR_ENV_ACTOPENDATAPORTALAPI_BASE_URL. Optionally provide an API key for higher rate limits. |
| Parameters | Required: id — dataset ID. Optional (CSV): $limit; $offset; $$app_token. |
| Output | Successful: a CSV file, or a GeoJSON object with spatial features. Failure: error details (e.g. non-spatial dataset for GeoJSON). |
| Workflow example | Execute exportCsv with id=abcd-1234 and $limit=100 for spreadsheets, or exportGeoJson for a mapping tool. |
Get Catalog
| Action | getCatalog |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Retrieves the DCAT representation of the entire data catalog — comprehensive metadata access. |
| Configuration | Configure the base URL via CONNECTOR_ENV_ACTOPENDATAPORTALAPI_BASE_URL. Optionally provide an API key for higher rate limits. |
| Parameters | Required: None. |
| Output | Successful: JSON array of dataset objects (id, name, description). Failure: error details. |
| Workflow example | Execute getCatalog and process the catalog for indexing in a data-discovery portal. |
Example Workflow: Environmental Data Analysis
| Search datasets | Use searchDatasets with q=environment to find datasets and identify a target ID (e.g. abcd-1234). |
|---|---|
| Retrieve metadata & data | Use getDatasetMetadata to review columns, then getDataRows with $where filters to fetch specific data. |
| Export for analysis | Use exportCsv for tabular data or exportGeoJson for spatial datasets, then integrate into GCP analytics. |
Support
For technical support, contact custom-connectors-support@isolutions.sa.