If ‘Change’ had a favourite number…it would be 2.3

There’s something about the number 2.3. It just rolls off the tongue with such an easy rectitude. Western families reportedly average 2.3 children; there were 2.3 million Americans out of work when Barrack Obama took Office; Starbucks go through 2.3 million paper cups a year. But the 2.3 that resonates with me most is 2.3 billion. That was the world population in the late 1940’s, and growing. WWII was over and we were finally able to stand up, dust off the despair of war and Depression, bask in a renewed confidence in the future, and make a lot of babies. We were on the brink of something and what those babies didn't know yet was that they would grow up to usher in a wave of unprecedented social, economic and technological change.

We are on the brink again. Open data is gaining momentum faster than the Baby Boomers are growing old  and it has the potential to steer that wave of change in all manner of directions. We’re ready for the next 2.3. Enter CKAN 2.3.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlQga1602PI[/embed] Here are some of the most exciting updates: * Completely refactored resource data visualizations, allowing multiple persistent views of the same data an interface to manage and configure them. Check the updated documentation to know more, and the "Changes and deprecations" section for migration details: http://docs.ckan.org/en/ckan-2.3/maintaining/data-viewer.html * Responsive design for the default theme, that allows nicer rendering across different devices * Improved DataStore filtering and full text search capabilities * Added new extension points to modify the DataStore behaviour * Simplified two-step dataset creation process * Ability for users to regenerate their own API keys * Changes on the authentication mechanism to allow more secure set-ups. See "Changes and deprecations" section for more details and "Troubleshooting" for migration instructions. * Better support for custom dataset types * Updated documentation theme, now clearer and responsive If you are upgrading from a previous version, make sure to check the "Changes and deprecations" section in the CHANGELOG, specially regarding the authorization configuration and data visualizations. To install the new version, follow the relevant instructions from the documentation depending on whether you are using a package or source install: http://docs.ckan.org/en/ckan-2.3/maintaining/installing/index.html If you are upgrading an existing CKAN instance, follow the upgrade instructions: http://docs.ckan.org/en/ckan-2.3/maintaining/upgrading/index.html We have also made available patch releases for the 2.0.x, 2.1.x and 2.2.x versions. It is important to apply these, as they contain important security and stability fixes. Patch releases are fully backwards compatible and really easy to install: http://docs.ckan.org/en/latest/maintaining/upgrading/upgrade-package-to-patch-release.html

Charting the CKAN boom.

The following graph charts population from 1800 to 2100 but we're interested in the period from the mid-1940s when there was a marked boost in population growth. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="450"] World population estimates from 1800 to 2100. Sourced from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_population The growth from 2.3 Billion in the 1940s is the Boom![/caption] With the recent release of CKAN 2.3 we're expecting a similar boost in community contributions. To add your voice to the community and boost the profile of the CKAN project please share a picture on twitter and include the hashtag #WeAreCKAN.