František Kaláb - How Data Improves Your Life in Prague [PyData Prague #21]

Prague Data Platform (Golemio) serves as a central data hub aggregating data from various city systems, including public transport, parking, waste management, and climate measurements

The platform aims to make data-driven city decisions more transparent through:

• Real-time data integration
• Open APIs for developers
• Public data portal (data.praha.eu)
• Open source code and tools

Key data sources include:

• Real-time public transport positions and delays
• 7,000 smart waste bins with ultrasound sensors
• Parking spot occupancy
• Bicycle and pedestrian traffic counts
• Microclimate measurements

Technical stack consists of:

• Postgres as main database
• DuckDB for efficient data processing
• DBT for data transformations
• Parquet files for historical data storage
• Azure Blob Storage for data lake
• Node.js and RabbitMQ for real-time integration

Platform serves multiple stakeholder groups:

• City decision makers
• Public transport operators
• Third-party developers
• Citizens and general public

The initiative has helped break down data silos between city institutions, encouraging data sharing and collaboration

Data is used for both operational purposes (real-time monitoring) and strategic planning (schedule optimization, infrastructure changes)

Focus on cost-efficiency through use of open source technologies and public cloud storage