Assessing Success for Water Data Repositories: Insights and Challenges in Measuring and Interpreting Impact

Abstract:

The ability to effectively gather, discover, and disseminate research data is necessary for innovation in water science. The Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Sciences, Inc. (CUAHSI) supports this need by developing and maintaining data tools and services that enable collaboration, archival, analysis, publication, and discovery of water data from a variety of sources. These services include two primary data repositories: HydroShare and the Hydrologic Information System (HIS). The primary goals of these systems are to make water science information available in a citable, shareable, discoverable format to increase the breadth of water science information.

User feedback and community support indicates that HydroShare and HIS provide value to the water science community, however, measuring and conveying this value in a quantitative and reportable format is challenging. CUAHSI collects a suite of quantitative use metrics, but use metrics do not always directly describe platform performance relative to predefined goals, and therefore may not be accurate measures of user experience or success of the system. This presentation will discuss 1) CUAHSI’s current use metrics and measures of success, 2) the challenges and lessons learned in effectively measuring the value and impact of CUAHSI’s data services, 3) how measures of success have been used to inform decisions, and 4) opportunities for improvement. This includes insights gained from the implementation of product analytic software, including Google Analytics and HEAP, that aid in understanding user interactions. The intent of this presentation is to facilitate a discussion on successful approaches to measuring impact and challenges faced so that we may learn from each other’s experiences.