Towards user-centred federated data services: insights from the environmental domain
Authors: Townsend, Poppy, Hanley, Monica, Podgorska, Aleksandra (Ola) Helena, Halstead, Maura, Watson, Carl, McCormack, Matthew, Darroch, Louise, Bulpett, Jennifer
Type: Report
Published: 2026-07-28

<p>This is the final overview report from the UNITED project. </p>
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<p class="Paragraph SCXW29164997 BCX0"><strong><span class="TextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0">Executive summary</span></span></strong></p>
<p class="Paragraph SCXW29164997 BCX0"><span class="TextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0">Federated data and compute services have an increasingly </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0">important role</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0"> in supporting interdisciplinary environmental research. </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0">In practice, u</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0">sers often experience these services as fragmented, difficult to navigate and disconnected from their needs. The UNITED project explored how user-centred approaches can strengthen federated services, using the Environmental Data Service (EDS) as a case study. </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0">The project examined the practical realities of federation, </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0">identified</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0"> lessons from existing federated organisations, and developed recommendations to help future federated services deliver greater value to their communities.</span></span><span class="EOP Selected SCXW29164997 BCX0"> </span></p>
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<p class="Paragraph SCXW29164997 BCX0"><span class="TextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0">The work combined user research, stakeholder interviews, desk studies, roadmap </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0">reviews</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0"> and practical pilots focused on community building, governance, ways of working and information sharing. Across these activities, a consistent finding </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0">emerged</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0">: successful federation depends as much on people, </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0">culture</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0"> and governance as it does on technology. A federation must provide a clear value proposition that is greater than the sum of its individual parts, supported by a shared vision, common tools, sustainable </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0">funding</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0"> and effective coordination.</span></span><span class="EOP Selected SCXW29164997 BCX0"> </span></p>
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<p class="Paragraph SCXW29164997 BCX0"><span class="TextRun MacChromeBold SCXW29164997 BCX0"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0">Four key themes were </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0">identified</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0">:</span></span><span class="LineBreakBlob BlobObject DragDrop SCXW29164997 BCX0"><span class="SCXW29164997 BCX0"> </span><br class="SCXW29164997 BCX0"></span><span class="TextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0">1.</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0"> Federations need a clearly defined purpose, supported by a shared technical foundation and common tools that enable collaboration and interoperability. </span></span><span class="LineBreakBlob BlobObject DragDrop SCXW29164997 BCX0"><span class="SCXW29164997 BCX0"> </span><br class="SCXW29164997 BCX0"></span><span class="TextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0">2. L</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0">ong-term success requires dedicated governance structures, sustainable funding </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0">models</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0"> and active management of organisational risks.</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0"> </span></span><span class="LineBreakBlob BlobObject DragDrop SCXW29164997 BCX0"><span class="SCXW29164997 BCX0"> </span><br class="SCXW29164997 BCX0"></span><span class="TextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0">3. F</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0">ederated organisations should invest in their culture and ways of working, creating conditions that encourage collaboration, transparency, </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0">experimentation</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0"> and continuous improvement. </span></span><span class="LineBreakBlob BlobObject DragDrop SCXW29164997 BCX0"><span class="SCXW29164997 BCX0"> </span><br class="SCXW29164997 BCX0"></span><span class="TextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0">4. U</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0">ser needs </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0">are</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0"> considered</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0"> throughout the lifecycle of the federation</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0">. This can be achieved in </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0">different ways</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0">, including </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0">through ongoing feedback and service design</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0">, with the goal to</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0"> challenge assumptions and reveal opportunities for improvement</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0"> on an ongoing basis</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0">.</span></span><span class="EOP Selected SCXW29164997 BCX0"> </span></p>
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<p class="Paragraph SCXW29164997 BCX0"><span class="TextRun MacChromeBold SCXW29164997 BCX0"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0">The project recommends </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0">13</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0"> actions across these themes</span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0">, including establishing a strategic vision before funding decisions are made, mandating shared tools and standards, creating dedicated coordination functions, diversifying funding streams, strengthening risk management, improving interoperability between organisations, embedding agile ways of working, implementing continuous feedback loops, and using service design methods to better understand users and the value delivered by the federation.</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0"> </span></span><span class="TextRun MacChromeBold SCXW29164997 BCX0"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0">Together, these recommendations provide a practical framework for developing federated services</span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0"> that are sustainable, user-</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0">centred</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0"> and capable of adapting to changing technologies, research </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0">priorities</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0"> and community needs. </span></span><span class="TextRun MacChromeBold SCXW29164997 BCX0"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0">While developed within the environmental data domain, the findings are relevant to any organisation </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0">seeking</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW29164997 BCX0"> to build or strengthen federated digital infrastructure and services.</span></span><span class="EOP Selected SCXW29164997 BCX0"> </span></p>
<p class="Paragraph SCXW29164997 BCX0"><strong><span class="EOP Selected SCXW29164997 BCX0">Additional details</span></strong></p>
<p class="Paragraph SCXW29164997 BCX0"><span class="EOP Selected SCXW29164997 BCX0">We acknowledge the support of the National Federated Compute Services NetworkPlus who have funded this work through the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) under Grant No. EP/Z534493/1 </span></p>
<p class="Paragraph SCXW29164997 BCX0">This work was undertaken as part of the UNITED project: https://eds.ukri.org/projects/united </p>
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<p>Please contact data@nerc.ukri.org referencing the UNITED project if you would like to discuss this further. </p>