By Michael Rans
The Humanitarian Data Exchange (HDX) is adding a new mandatory metadata field called Expected Update Frequency. It replaces a previous optional field, Update Frequency, and its purpose is to tell us how often datasets shared through the site are likely to be updated.
How will it affect you?
When you create a new dataset or update an existing one in HDX either in the website or through the API, you will be required to complete a new mandatory field: Expected Update Frequency. It is a rough estimate of how often the data will be updated. It can be changed later so a best guess is fine to start.
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We are drawing on research being done on data freshness at Vienna University. Specifically, the researchers are looking at estimating the next change time for a resource based on previous update history and applying a Markov chain approach. The research is still ongoing but we hope to learn from their results to enhance HDX.
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Let us know what you think of this approach. Send feedback to hdx@un.org. Watch this space! There will be more coming on the subject of Data Freshness.