Can PortalJS Cloud be fully localised in Catalan or other regional languages?

Yes. PortalJS Cloud supports full frontend localisation, allowing organisations to present the portal entirely in their language of choice. For Espai de Dades, the interface was localised to Catalan — covering navigation, labels, search, and dataset descriptions — ensuring a native experience for Catalan-speaking users and sector organisations.

How does PortalJS Cloud handle domain-specific categorisation beyond standard CKAN groups?

PortalJS Cloud's CKAN backend supports flexible grouping, and the frontend can be extended with custom logic. For Espai de Dades, Datopian implemented two domain-specific categories — àmbits (thematic areas) and col·lectius (population groups) — using naming conventions and frontend logic, allowing users to navigate data according to the sector's real-world structure rather than a generic data hierarchy.

How quickly can a production-ready data portal be launched with PortalJS Cloud?

PortalJS Cloud is designed for fast provisioning and structured delivery. For Espai de Dades, Datopian and OneTandem provisioned the instance, customised the frontend, migrated 139 datasets, and completed QA within a single project cycle. The managed infrastructure eliminates the setup time that typically delays traditional CKAN deployments.

Can non-technical staff manage and update a PortalJS Cloud portal independently?

Yes. PortalJS Cloud provides an admin interface for dataset publishing, metadata editing, and organisation management that requires no technical knowledge. For Espai de Dades, reducing friction for non-technical users was a core requirement, and the portal was handed over ready for the Taula team to manage and update independently.

CASE STUDY

Espai de Dades

Open Data Portal for Catalonia's Third Sector

OneTandem, a Catalan data studio, chose PortalJS Cloud to build Espai de Dades for Taula d'entitats del Tercer Sector de Catalunya — the umbrella organisation for Catalonia's civil society. Datopian delivered a managed portal in Catalan, with a custom data taxonomy built around the sector's own concepts, and 139 datasets live from day one.

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Espai de Dades / Open Data Portal for Catalonia's Third Sector

139 datasets live
Full Catalan localisation
Zero infra overhead

The story

Taula d'entitats del Tercer Sector de Catalunya brings together hundreds of organisations working across Catalonia in social services, housing, inclusion, and community support. As the sector's umbrella body, Taula holds a unique position: they aggregate data that reflects the real state of civil society in Catalonia, and they have a mandate to make that data useful to the organisations, researchers, and policymakers who depend on it.

Until 2025, that data had no public home. Datasets were held internally with no structured way to publish, navigate, or share them. Policymakers couldn't find what they needed. Member organisations couldn't explore sector trends. The data existed — it just wasn't accessible.

OneTandem, a Catalan data and digital product studio, was brought in to solve this. While evaluating open data portal options for the project, they discovered PortalJS Cloud and reached out to Datopian. After a brief evaluation, the decision was straightforward: a managed, customisable platform that could be live quickly, with no infrastructure overhead for the client.

The critical requirement was taxonomy. Catalan third-sector data isn't organised by generic topic — it's structured around àmbits (thematic domains: housing, health, education, employment) and col·lectius (population groups: elderly, youth, migrants, people at risk of exclusion). No off-the-shelf portal reflected this. Datopian built it as real navigation logic, so the portal speaks the sector's language natively.

Espai de Dades launched with 139 datasets, fully in Catalan, with the Taula team managing it independently from day one.

Challenge

No portal, no visibility: Sector data had no dedicated home — no way to publish, structure, or share it with the organisations and policymakers who needed it.
Standard tools didn't fit: Third-sector data in Catalonia is organised around àmbits (thematic domains: housing, health, education) and col·lectius (population groups: elderly, youth, people at risk). No off-the-shelf portal reflected this structure.
Non-technical team: The platform had to be operable by data managers without developer support after handover.

Solution

Managed infrastructure on PortalJS Cloud: A production-ready instance provisioned quickly — no servers, no maintenance overhead for client or partner.
Catalan-first interface: Every label, field, and navigation element localised to Catalan and aligned with the organisation's branding.
Custom taxonomy for àmbits and col·lectius: Built as real navigation categories so users can browse data the way the sector thinks — by issue area and by population group served.
139 datasets migrated and structured: Tagged, searchable, and publicly accessible from launch day.

Impact

139 datasets publicly accessible: Organised into a catalogue that matches how sector organisations and policymakers actually think about the data.
Native Catalan experience: Built for the audience from the start — not translated after the fact.
Self-managed after handover: The Taula team publishes and updates datasets independently.
Live in record time: From brief to production in a single project cycle.

What we delivered

Everything we built.

Rapid Portal Launch

PortalJS Cloud's managed provisioning enabled a production-ready portal to be delivered quickly, without infrastructure setup delays.

Full Catalan Localisation

The entire interface was localised to Catalan and branded to match the client's identity, making the portal accessible and trusted for Catalan-speaking users.

Domain-Specific Categorisation

Custom grouping logic for àmbits and col·lectius lets users navigate data by issue area and population group — the way the sector actually thinks.

139 Dataset Catalogue

139 datasets migrated and structured into a searchable, standardised catalogue — easy to browse, filter, and explore.

Managed Infrastructure

PortalJS Cloud handles hosting, security, and updates — no infrastructure management required from the client or partner.

Non-Technical Data Management

Non-technical staff can publish, update, and manage datasets independently through the portal's straightforward admin interface.

PortalJS Cloud enabled us to set up and publish an open data portal in record time. We were able to upload datasets and organize over 100 data sources into a platform that is both visually appealing and easy to use. We also greatly appreciated the excellent support provided throughout the project.