Key lessons from our work on the COVID-19 pandemic are now published in Lancet Public Health.
Governments often did not publish their COVID-19 data well during the pandemic, making it more difficult to respond. In a new open-access article for Lancet Public Health, we at Our World in Data outline seven key lessons for public agencies and other organizations on how to publish their data better in the future. In short, agencies should: 1. Collect the data that is relevant Focus on the crucial metrics to answer the questions that decision-makers and the public have. The data should not leave out anything essential or include anything that diverts resources and attention away from the most relevant metrics. 2. Make the data comparable Ensure that the data can be compared across time and geography by using the same definitions and methods to collect data. That makes identifying inequities, learning from others, and reproducing the best policies possible. 3. Clearly document the data Describe what exactly the data is, the time and geography covered, its collection, and how challenges were addressed. Ideally, justify procedures, acknowledge shortcomings, share the raw data and the processing code, and answer user questions. 4. Share the data frequently and promptly Share the data at the frequency that is needed. For the rapidly developing pandemic, this meant daily data, at least for the most important metrics. 5. Publish the data at a stable location Use the same website and an identical and accessible URL, add the new information to the existing dataset, and make the URL accessible from anywhere in the world. 6. Choose a reusable data format Publish the data in a format that a computer can automatically process, such as CSV or JSON. Ideally, also share the metadata (variable descriptions, units, etc.) the same way, and follow common standards, such as ISO 8601 for writing dates. 7. License others to reuse the data Provide a license that allows other people to reuse the data, such as a permissive Creative Commons Attribution license. Show the license close to where the data are displayed or can be downloaded. These best practices are straightforward, inexpensive, and achievable. More public agencies and organizations following them will enable others to access their data and address the world’s many challenges — including the next pandemic. The article details what each best practice involves and gives helpful examples from during the pandemic. You can read it in full here: https://lnkd.in/dwVWmCbC