Many times we need to make data available to others either through our own services or the services and platforms of others. This policy provides some bullet points for consideration when publishing data online meant to be consumed by many others for a variety of purposes.
When the ownership, rights and terms of agreement data is made available under are not clear, so is the legal risk to using the data. Use of data without permission can lead to lawsuits or even criminal action in some cases, therefore more cautious users are likely to be discouraged. Clearly indicating the license and terms you make data available under reduces friction for others wanting to use your data.
Users of your data are unlikely to be happy having to browse your entire site to discover if they can use your data or not. Put license information and terms near download links or clearly indicate where to find them near those points instead.
Avoid proprietary formats such as .doc or .ai when publishing data meant for mass consumption. These formats often require proprietary software that not everyone may have access to. Even when they are supported by freely available software, support may not be as extensive or may even be buggy.
Often people desire statistical data to conduct their own analysis via software of their own choosing. The harder it is for users to transfer your data into their own systems, the less likely they are to use it.
Especially for users on mobile devices who may not have the programs needed to open the file format. Mobile users may also have restrictions on how much data they are allowed to download so specifying file sizes can help prevent accidentally usage, especially for larger files.