Open Data Telangana

Case Study: Telangana State Open Data Portal (Drupal DKAN + React)

Overview
Development of a government open data portal for the state of Telangana, India, built on Drupal DKAN with a React-based front end. The platform houses and publishes high-volume datasets to support public access, transparency, and data-driven decision-making.

Objectives

• Centralize datasets from multiple departments into a single, searchable repository
• Enable modern discovery through a responsive React user experience
• Ensure reliability for high traffic and large dataset downloads
• Strengthen security posture in line with government-grade requirements

Technology Stack

CMS and Data Catalog

Drupal DKAN for dataset cataloging, metadata management, and publishing workflows

Front End

React for fast navigation, improved filtering, and a modern UI layer

Infrastructure

Hardened server configuration and security controls to support large-scale data distribution

Key Challenges

• Collating intense scale of data
  Aggregation of large volumes of datasets across departments, formats, and update cycles while maintaining consistent metadata standards and discoverability.
• Cybersecurity measures
  Elevated risk profile due to public exposure, requiring strong access controls, secure configuration, and continuous monitoring practices.
• Server hardening
  Hardening and tuning of servers to reduce attack surface and improve resilience under high load, including configuration best practices and operational safeguards.

Approach

• Data onboarding and normalization
  Defined consistent metadata conventions and ingestion practices to improve dataset quality, categorization, and search relevance.
• React-led user experience
  Implemented a streamlined browsing and filtering experience to support quick discovery across a growing catalog.
• Security-first delivery
  Applied cybersecurity controls and server hardening to meet government expectations for stability, confidentiality, and integrity.

Results

• Improved accessibility to Telangana state datasets through a consolidated portal
• Scalable publishing workflow using DKAN cataloging and structured metadata
• Enhanced resilience through security measures and hardened infrastructure suitable for public-sector deployment

Summary

Delivery of a Telangana-focused government open data platform combining the catalog strengths of Drupal DKAN with the usability advantages of React, while addressing the core challenges of large-scale data collation, cybersecurity, and server hardening.