Introducing Data User Group Meetings: A Framework for Shared Conversation About Data

One of the things we’ve noticed through our work as a data intermediary is that people usually don’t talk to each other about how they are using or want to use data. Data publishers don’t often have opportunities to listen to data users. Data publishers don’t have a way to talk to one another, especially across institutions. User-user interactions are ad-hoc (at best). As a result, users aren’t able to benefit from a collective approach to informed decisionmaking and are unable to build strong communities of practice.

Nothing takes the place of personal interaction. Our Data User Group meetings will provide a mechanism for shared, topical conversation about data and can be a model for other partners to adopt.