Data Quality Requirements Reporting of Open Datasets in Environmental Research - A sample study to identify the gaps in data quality reporting between open dataset stakeholders

Abstract

Environmental research requires a large amount of data that are often provided by various private and public organizations. This ease of access introduces concerns about the quality of this data and how applicable they can be for the purposes of each individual task. This study aims to identify key data quality aspects (DQAs) and how they are viewed from the perspectives of three stakeholders: data portal maintainers, dataset providers, and dataset consumers. The perspectives of these stakeholders were investigated using a sample study, which is also known as a survey study. Different populations were identified and contacted to partake in a questionnaire containing found DQAs from different sources and prompted to evaluate the importance from their role’s perspective. The collected responses were analysed using Bayesian data analysis. It was identified that different roles have different perspectives when it comes to the data quality aspects that should be prioritized during reporting. This research emphasizes the importance of effective and transparent communication between stakeholders and enhance the quality of the data used in environmental research.