Alaska Region Data Management System Requirements Analysis Needs Assessment
Dates
Publication Date
2021-01
Citation
Roetto, Mark (2021). Alaska Regional Data Management System Requirements Analysis Needs Assessment. Report prepared for the Alaska Region of the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Anchorage, AK. https://doi.org/10.7944/P9T1UDMY.
Summary
The Alaska Region of the US Fish and Wildlife Service began a requirements analysis for a regional data management system in early 2020. A needs assessment was completed to identify mandatory requirements and better understand staff needs and desired features. The needs assessment aimed to understand: 1) current data management practices of staff; 2) quantity and format of the data staff produce; 3) where data are stored; 4) data management challenges; and 5) desired features that staff would like to have incorporated into a future system. Staff who work with scientific data in the Alaska Region were given the opportunity to complete a questionnaire and participate in individual interviews regarding their data management practices. [...]
Summary
The Alaska Region of the US Fish and Wildlife Service began a requirements analysis for a regional data management system in early 2020. A needs assessment was completed to identify mandatory requirements and better understand staff needs and desired features. The needs assessment aimed to understand: 1) current data management practices of staff; 2) quantity and format of the data staff produce; 3) where data are stored; 4) data management challenges; and 5) desired features that staff would like to have incorporated into a future system. Staff who work with scientific data in the Alaska Region were given the opportunity to complete a questionnaire and participate in individual interviews regarding their data management practices. Supervisors and staff in other leadership roles were also interviewed.
Staff expressed a desire for a regional data management system that is easy to use and improves efficacy. Commonly requested features among staff were the ability for dynamic searching, enhanced analytics, and options for data visualization. Staff and leadership desired the ability to track projects and major milestones. Desired attributes were classified into system requirements, needs and wants. The needs assessment also revealed numerous opportunities for improvements related to data governance. The second phase of this project was a systems suitability analysis, completed in July 2021 (https://doi.org/10.7944/P9VDJSON).
