Regional Database System User Need Assessment Survey

Personal Information

1. Full name

2. Email address

3. Designation

4. Organisation

Data Discovery

5. Have you used the Regional Database System (RDS) portal for downloading the datasets in the past?

Yes

5.1 How do you find searching datasets on RDS using keywords and filtering?

Very easy

Somewhat easy

Neutral

Somewhat not easy

Extremely difficult

6. The RDS stores ICIMOD's own datasets as well as those obtained from other organisations. Currently, the RDS Portal allows users to discover all datasets in its repository. Although, the datasets obtained from third-party sources cannot be shared with the public. In your opinion, will it be good to allow users to search and discover ICIMOD data only?

Yes, ICIMOD data only

No, allow searching both ICIMOD and third-party data

7. Would you find it useful to have a Natural Language Search feature on the RDS portal, allowing users to search data using human language instead of keywords?

Yes

8. Please provide suggestions to further improve data search and discovery on RDS

9. How would you want to view metadata or information about datasets?

Simple view showing key information only

Full metadata view showing all the information

Both with an option to switch between simple view and full metadata view

Data Download

10. We currently distribute tabular data in CSV file format and geospatial data in shapefile/GeoTIFF format. Do you find these file formats appropriate and sufficient?

Yes

10.1 Please suggest which (additional) data formats need to be considered for data dissemination?

11. We attach metadata and data description files with data. Do you require any other specific document packaged with the data?

Data Exploration and Visualisation

12. Will it be useful to have data visualisation feature to view data in the form of map, chart, table, etc.?

Yes

13. Would you like to have a facility to query and interact with data using natural language (e.g. how many Glacial Lake Outburst Flood events occurred between 2000 and 2021 in Bhutan)?

Yes

14. Please suggest if you wish to see any specific feature or tool to explore, visualise and interact with the data.

Data Service

15. We are considering implementing an Open Data Service. This would allow organisations or individual users to access our data programmatically via an API (Application Programming Interface) and integrate to use it in their applications. In your opinion, will it be a useful feature?

Yes

Maybe

16. ICIMOD promotes data access and sharing and have been making efforts to link RDS Portal with other data portals in the region and beyond. In this regard, please suggest if you are aware of any data portals that can be linked with the RDS portal and vice versa.

17. Please list down key datasets that you consider important but currently not available in RDS.

Suggestions

18. Please let us know if you have any further suggestions to improve RDS that were not covered in the questions above.