Preparing for a data request
In this guidance we layout the general process for requesting data. Following the steps below will make it easy for the agency providing data (data provider) to assess your data request.
It is important to have a good understanding of the purpose and scope of your project or initiative. This helps guide your search for data.
Consider answering the questions below to help you establish your purpose:
- What is the aim, goal or objective that I need to accomplish?
- What is the issue that I am trying to address or question I want answered?
- What do I need to find out or measure?
- What are the outputs, benefits and outcomes of the project or initiative?
- How much data do I need?
TIP: Design your research questions that can be answered with data as each answer will be used as evidence to support your conclusions or decisions later.
Check whether relevant data already exists and you can do this by:
Reviewing internal data ecosystems, information asset register or data catalogues. These resources often list available data assets, including information on data owners, permissions and rights to use them.
TIP: Talk to your information and data architect and data owners about potentially using existing data sets. They will know the business rules and requirements to use or access datasets in your agency.
- Searching publicly available sources such as:
- Data.NSW Open Data Portal where you can find a wide range of NSW government datasets
- NSW government data portals where you can find links to various portals and websites providing open data
- Data.gov.au where you can find open data from other states, territories and Australian government agencies.
TIP: Pay attention to published data dictionaries or data quality statements as these will help you understand and evaluate the data for use. They will also give you an idea on what other data the agency may have.
- Investigating relevant agency websites for:
- published information about their data holdings
- available Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) or other data transfer mechanisms
- any data found in annual reports, publications and other available resources on the website
- information on how to request access to information, including whether data ethics approval is required.
- Checking data held by statistic agencies as they may already collect the data you are looking for. Here are a few data sources to consider:
- Checking Centre for Health Record Linkage as they have a number of linked health-related datasets in NSW and the ACT.
Identifying what data an agency holds may require contacting agencies. Some agencies provide an email address or a web form as contact points for data requests or enquiries.
Provide information up-front on what data you are looking for and for what purpose. The more information you provide, the easier it will be for the agency to assess your request.
Find information about NSW Government.
Search NSW Government Directory for contact details, NSW Government website for key government programs and services and NSW State Archives Collection for historical information on government departments, agencies, offices and other entities.
Before you contact Consult with IT, information and data management areas to determine if you have the appropriate technology, processes, capabilities and capacity in place to handle the transfer and management of the data
Contact and engage the data provider to make your data request. They will let you know what their requirements are to be able to fulfill your request.
Make the case for your request by providing information about your project or initiative and details of your plan such as:
- the purpose and context for the data request
- whether the request is a once-off or ongoing, and the anticipated availability, volume and frequency of the request
- scope of the data required such as the target population, location, and timeframe or reference period
- how the data will be used, shared or distributed and to whom, including whether data linkage will happen and who will do it
- where relevant, whether you have carried out a privacy impact assessment of the intended use of the data you're requesting
- how the data will be transferred and managed, including any information on data tools, services and infrastructure that you will use for data analysis.
TIP: Consult with IT, information and data management areas to determine if you have the appropriate technology, processes, capabilities and capacity in place to handle the transfer and management of the data
, experts as they can confirm whether your agency's data practices, tools, platforms and services are approprate managed well and that they are underpinned by compliance with legislative and administrative policies.
Once your data request is received, the data provider will assess your request against relevant internal policies and privacy and data protection requirements set out in legislation.
Here are a few items that you can expect to discuss with the data provider:
- scope and timeframe of your data request
- any costs for data provision and access
- barriers to fulfilling your data requests and how they may be resolved
- time required for developing and signing of a data sharing agreement
- terms and conditions for the sharing of data.
TIP: Understand and comply with the data provider's processes and practices. Your agency's practices, services and infrastructure will need to comply with them.