Reference Model for Transparent Data Supply

Human action can be interpreted from two alternative perspectives: prescriptive planning and emerging situations. Traditionally, Data and Information Quality Research has emphasized quality controls and standardization at data entry situations to improve the accuracy of data. However, data standards are only one factor that might describe the actual meaning of data instances. Likewise, quality controls are just one of the many factors that can influence the actual quality of data. In reality, the recorded data might not conform to specified data standards and data quality controls might have been circumvented. The paradigm of Situated Action emphasizes that the actual state of data can only be understood in relation to the actual circumstances and available resources at each data entry situation. Therefore, we constructed the Reference Model for Transparent Data Supply. The purpose of the reference model is to point out factors that should be explicitly recognized, considered and monitored while interpreting the actual meaning and quality of situated data. It consists of general requirements and general components as required by Explanatory Design Theories and it is founded on widely used frameworks from three disciplines: Human Computer-Interaction, Data and Information Quality, and Software Engineering. The reference model implies that variations in and between any of the modelled context factors will lead to distinctive data quality error profiles and can cause significant semantic heterogeneity. Unless these context factors and their variations are recognized, the validity of data-driven decision making might be compromised due to hidden accuracy errors and latent semantic heterogeneity. In the future, the reference model can be used to guide the development of transparent provenance across information production processes.