1. Providing access to your data Determining your audience
Modules should be 3-7 minutes long
Robert R. Downs, PhD
Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC)
Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN)
Columbia University
Version 1.0
Review Date
Copyright The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York

2. Overview
The audience for data products or services should be determined to ensure that these resources can meet the needs of the audience
One or more audiences may be determined for data products and services and audiences may change over time
Audience can be defined based on demographics or on the purposes for using the resources
The audience for data products or services should be determined early to influence plans for development, dissemination, and stewardship and should be evaluated throughout the data lifecycle to identify improvements needed to serve current and future audiences

3. Relevance to Data Management
Determining the audience for data products or services influences the development and management of the resources to foster discovery, accessibility, understandability, and usability by the audience
Producers, distributors, stewards, and sponsors of data need to know what audiences are being served
Producers can develop resource for use by the audience
Distributors can package, promote, and disseminate resources to the audience
Stewards can manage the data to meet current and prospective audience needs and assess its value to the audience
Sponsors can support data collection, development, and distribution for the audience

4. Determine audience throughout data lifecycle
Audience may be defined by user demographics, such as discipline (oceanography, geology, etc.) or level of expertise (graduate students, experienced climate scientists, etc.)
Audience may be defined by the application and uses of data products and services, such as scientific research, education, policy-making, and planning.
Determination of the intended audience should inform initial data development and dissemination plans
Evaluation of past and current audiences should inform enhancements for data products and related services and can be used to identify the impacts of the resources

5. Methods for determining current audience
Metrics for access and support (describe in privacy policy)
Web metrics (initial and repeat visitors’ page visits, downloads)
Contact information provided during requests for assistance
Registration
Request contact information from recipients of data
User surveys (with approval of ethics board)
Administer questionnaires to visitors of data webpage
Citations – provide a recommended citation for data
References in published scientific literature (articles, books, etc.)
References in gray literature (presentations, reports, blogs, etc.)
References in popular media (magazines, newspapers, radio, television, etc.)

6. References and Resources
Chen, R. S. and Downs, R. R Evaluating the Use and Impact of Scientific Data. Assessing The Usage and Value of Scholarly and Scientific Output: An Overview of Traditional and Emerging Metrics. Available online at

7. Other Relevant Modules
Tracking data usage
Broadening your user community