Close to 100 researchers have contributed to the first Needs Assessment
Table of Contents
The results from the first needs assessment are now ready. A total of 99 people have contributed to mapping the needs and desires for the research infrastructure. This provides a solid foundation for understanding the overarching needs and desires for the infrastructure being developed in the WebData project.
Who has responded?
87 people have answered the survey, while an additional 12 scholars have contributed through in-depth interviews. A large proportion of the respondents are researchers in the humanities and social sciences, but natural sciences, educational sciences, medicine, economics, and arts are also represented.
The respondents come from a range of different fields and disciplines: media studies, linguistics, history, political science, digital culture, Sámi language and culture, literary studies, and human-computer interaction (HCI).
The majority of respondents are affiliated with the higher education sector and represent a total of 15 different universities and colleges: 13 Norwegian, one Danish, and one Swedish.
Other respondents are affiliated with various research organizations, archives, museums, and knowledge development in government administration.
All regions of the country are represented among these:
| Region | Count | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Oslo | 47 | 54 % |
| Eastern Norway (ex. Oslo) | 12 | 14 % |
| Western Norway | 10 | 11 % |
| Northern Norway | 9 | 10 % |
| Trøndelag | 5 | 6 % |
| Southern Norway | 1 | 1 % |
Next Steps
In the survey, participants were asked to rank the importance of various factors within four different themes:
- Access
- Interfaces and basic functionality
- Data
- Metadata
In the interviews, which were primarily conducted with individuals who already have experience with web archive studies or web-based data, participants shared their experiences and needs in more detail.
The results are now being used in the project to inform further development of the data platform. Results will also be summarised in a short report that will be ready during the spring.
A large proportion of respondents have indicated that they wish to be kept updated on the project’s development through newsletters. We will ensure this, and we look forward to sharing information as the project progresses.
Thanks to everyone who has contributed to mapping the needs for research infrastructure for web archives!