Many of the existing data policies can be very different, e.g.,
The use of more open data policies supports increasing the quality, quantity and re-use of the data for multiple applications. However, in order to maximise the discovery and innovation of data would require increased coordination in order to harmonize data and license policies. Currently users need to become familiar with the different policies before they can confidently combine data or use of portals that provide data from multiple networks thus limiting the interoperability of data from different sources. This gap affects the validation of any satellite mission, for whatever ECV or application.
Identified benefit | User category/Application area benefitted | Probability of benefit being realised | Impacts |
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Open access to all available geophysical data, for any user. |
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| Better use of the data, especially for commercial purposes – with possibly new market-oriented applications; Open data standards support increased transparency, wider applicability , understanding, and re-use of data, as well as interoperability of data. |
Data providers can highlight the use of their data to their funding agencies for justifying the cost of the data acquisition and provision. |
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| Funding agencies get more convinced about the cost-effectiveness of supporting observations. |
Identified risk | User category/Application area at risk | Probability of risk being realised | Impacts |
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Certain data sets remain hidden for some time or remain unexploited. |
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| It is more tedious or even costly for a user to get hold of the data he/she needs. Funding agencies get frustrated about the cost-effectiveness of supporting observations. |
Users do not comply with individual data policies e.g., in publications. |
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| Data providers get frustrated and will release less data. Limited understanding of data policies continues to lower effective and accurate use of data. |
The remedy of adopting an open data policy means that once the data are submitted to the data archive/data centre, they are public for all users, including commercial users. This facilitates and stimulates the use of the data and stimulates the (combined) use of complementary data from different networks, hence a larger cost-effectiveness of the networks. To make this option acceptable for the data providers, the latter should get credit for their data. The funding organisations must be made aware of the use of the data, as an encouragement to sustain the data acquisition. Harmonisation of data policies facilitates the data access in data portals and for data users – stimulating the (combined) use of complementary data from different networks, hence a more beneficial use of the networks data.
The adoption of an open data policy by all networks and the enhanced utilisation of the data will demonstrate the success of the remedy.