First survey results, a UNESCO call that closes 31 August, and the November Kick-Off Conference

What the first twenty survey responses tell us

By Esther Plomp, DCDC Project Lead

So far, our survey attracted 20 responses, primarily from Aruba (n=17), Curaçao (n=2) and one response from Belgium! While this is not a huge response yet, and it is not representative of the needs of all the islands (please still fill out the survey!), we are already seeing some patterns that this feature will briefly discuss.

The language that respondents are most comfortable with is English (n=20), followed by Dutch (n=18), Papiamento/u (n=16), Spanish (n=7) and French (n=2). Based on the data we have so far, this means that we can keep focusing on English as our primary language for communication, and extend this with Dutch and Papiamento/u where possible.

Most of our respondents come from the research or education sector (n=11), with government or public service following (n=7), and several individuals from healthcare, independent research and consultancy, the private sector, or even being based in several sectors. We are happy with this range of backgrounds of DCDC members, as our goal is to also engage the wider research community instead of only the research and education sector.

For the question ‘What are the main difficulties you face in your work related to data?’ only one participant indicated that they did not experience major issues! The other 19 respondents indicated the following top 3 of issues, split over 5 difficulties:

Other concerns that people shared in the survey:

• How to reach sample size in a small island population
• How to store and publish datasets, and how to avoid data leaks
• Public trust and lack of education on the purpose of gathering data
• Data quality and interpretation
• Use of the same language around data
• Lack of cooperation or not having a team to help
• Lack of tools or software for analysis

To make data sharing easier within our organization, respondents indicated that collaboration with colleagues, as well as trust and collaboration, are key. People have their own storage systems (that do not always result in clean data!) and may be afraid to share data with others, or it may not be clear who has ownership of the data. This was also highlighted in the challenges they experienced, as not all organizations compile data regularly or in a structural manner. Respondents also experience ‘red tape’ between organizations, making collaboration impossible. Two DCDC Network members specifically mentioned the lack of a platform, complying with all legislation, between different institutions to facilitate data exchange. Another member mentioned that there is not yet a shared mindset of responsibility and accountability: the framework surrounding the data should be improved before data sharing is possible.

“Data sharing is frustrated by the lack of an accessible platform for data sharing and the lack of an open data culture in research in Aruba.”

To the question of what participants would do if they had a magic wand to change their data challenges, the obtaining of skills (such as R programming, data coding and cleaning, data visualisation, web design, knowledge of legislation) and awareness (especially for data reuse) was overwhelmingly named. This was followed by a close runner up of the need of a platform where all data is structurally stored and easily shared, such as a repository for the Caribbean, in a format that is useful, and where data is used with respect for the work of the contributors. The political permission to share data was also a wish, as well as knowing how to make data more attractive for decision makers. People also wished that there was more awareness for the importance of data and education, and that the communication lines are more open and clear.

Notably, instead of asking for more funding to be able to pay for expensive licenses, a respondent stressed the need to have access to tools that can replace these paid versions, and open source tools that are more customizable were specifically mentioned (such as R instead of SPSS). More funding was on the wishlist, but then to increase the capacity to be able to make more data available.

In order to address the challenges without a magic wand, respondents were very enthusiastic to offer their help to get access to software and tools, support with training around data management and visualisation, sharing data and working with sensitive data. They also wanted to connect to people with similar interests, as well as international networks and cross-island cooperation. Advocacy for open data and engaging with the wider public was also found important.

Most of the DCDC Network members found training or workshops (whether online or in person), or step by step guides, helpful to increase their digital competence skills. Peer-to-peer learning was also seen as interesting, whereas one-on-one support was found less important.

The majority of our members would like to remain informed of the developments, and are interested in attending training or online sessions. Because of this enthusiasm for attending online sessions we are now more strongly considering hosting some future activities online! Our next opportunity to join the DCDC Network sessions in person are the Blue Wave Analytics: Introduction to R workshop in Curaçao on 23 and 25 September (registration is open, and Marjorie Alfonso is happy to answer questions at marjorie.alfonso@uoc.cw), and our Kick-Off Conference in November on Aruba (10 to 12 November, University of Aruba).

We will structure our Kick-Off Conference in November based on these survey responses, so it is never too late to share your perspective by filling out our survey!