Methodology
How Qapacity sources infrastructure information
Facility profiles are only useful if you can see where their information came from and how current it is. This is how we build and maintain them.
Possible sources
- Provider submissions
- Provider websites
- Universities
- Research organisations
- Government and public bodies
- Open datasets
- Institutional publications
- Direct verification with the provider
Each piece of information is labelled with one of these source types:
- Provider verified
- Official facility source
- Public institutional source
- Qapacity research
- Customer report
- Imported
- Unknown
Rules we follow
- Every imported source must respect applicable licences, database rights, terms of use and copyright.
- We do not indiscriminately scrape websites.
- We summarise factual capability information rather than copying substantial content, and provide attribution where it is required.
- Where a source’s terms do not permit our use, we do not use it.
- AI may help extract information from a permitted source, but extracted information is reviewed before it is published.
What we record for each source
| Source URL or reference | Where the information can be found, where appropriate. |
|---|---|
| Source type | Provider verified, official facility source, public institutional source and so on. |
| Date accessed | When we observed the information. |
| Permitted-use basis | Why we are allowed to use it, where required. |
| Attribution requirement | Any attribution the source requires. |
| Update mechanism | How the information is re-checked: provider verification, scheduled review or correction. |
These details are shown in the Sources section of every public facility profile.
From source to verification
Information from an identified source is shown as Source supported. When the provider confirms it, it becomes Provider verified. Where sources disagree it is marked Conflicting; where there is no supporting source it is Unverified.
Verification is always attributed to a verifier and a date. Qapacity does not certify facilities, and no verification state means that Qapacity has approved a facility for your requirement.
Keeping information current
Externally sourced information records when it was observed, last checked and last verified, and when it is due for review. Once the review date has passed, the information is flagged Stale with the message: “This information may be out of date. Confirm with the provider before relying on it.”
When a provider changes information, a new version is created. Earlier versions are kept as history rather than silently destroyed.
Personal data in facility profiles
We minimise personal information in facility datasets. We prefer institutional contact details, and we do not publish personal contact details of individual scientists merely because they appear somewhere publicly.
Corrections and removal
Anyone can use Suggest a correction on a facility page. Providers can Claim this facility to manage and verify their profile. If you believe information has been used in breach of a licence or your rights, please tell us through the contact page. See also the Data Sources policy.