Data preservation and sharing
The data curation process is governed inter alia by the HSRC Data Preservation Policy and the HSRC Data Sharing Policy. Research data is submitted by the principal investigators of SASAS to the Research Data Service for curation. Data submission is a structured process with guidance provided through checklists and templates. The following curation activities are subsequently performed:
· Auditing of the deposited data and documents
· Checking and verification of data
· Addressing ownership and confidentiality issues
· Loading files into the HSRC's file repository
· Describing data and documents in terms of DDI (Data Documentation Initiative) and Dublin Core metadata standards respectively
· Generating unstructured metadata which describes the data and facilitates use, i.e. a read me file, user guide and code book
· Converting files to preservation and dissemination formats and storing these files appropriately
· The data is subsequently made available for re-use. Data sharing is subject to an End User License agreement. Access to data is managed through an on-line automated process. Users are requested to register and provide a reason for wanting to use the data. Access is subsequently provided.
The following audiences (national and internationally) could potentially make use of the data:
· Researchers wanting to use the data for secondary analysis to inform their scientific work.
· Academics who want to use the data and related documentation for teaching purposes.
· Post-graduate students who would like to analyse the data for their theses or dissertations.
· Decision makers with the intention to use the findings from the survey to inform the development trajectory of South Africa.
· The media, NGOs and the public at large who would like to gain an understanding of the lived experiences of the people of South Africa.