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Buyers

How to write a data sourcing brief

SnowRock

A clear request makes it easier to find the right companies and review their data.

A three-finger robotic hand attached to an articulated arm in NIST’s manipulation testbed.
NIST’s robotic manipulation testbed, used to measure performance on manufacturing tasks, July 2013.Falco / NIST · Public domain

Describe the job

Write one sentence about the task your AI needs to perform. Then give an example input and a good output. State whether the data is for training, testing or another use.

Explain what you need that public data does not provide. This could be industry detail, recent examples, a full sequence of work or a specific kind of expert review.

Define an acceptable delivery

List the required fields, formats, languages and date range. Give a target volume and say which requirements are essential. Note whether the records must connect to one another.

Define how a sample will be reviewed and what would cause rejection. A buyer who needs completed work with an outcome should say so before a company prepares files.

Include the commercial details

Name the person who can approve a purchase, the expected budget and the deadline. Explain who will prepare the data and how the buyer wants it delivered.

For a paid sourcing assignment, agree SnowRock’s search scope, fee and deliverables separately from the license price paid to the data owner. This makes the cost of each part clear.

Talk to SnowRock about your data or your next sourcing request.

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