← VCE Data Analysis

Characteristic of data: accessibility

How easily the people who need data can find it, open it and use it, including having the right file format, the right permissions and support for users with disability.

Part of: VCE Applied Computing - U1O1 - Data analysis — Module 25

Understanding Characteristic of data: accessibility in VCE Data Analysis

What it does: Giving read permission lets the intended users open the file, so the data is accessible to them. Relying on colour alone can make categories impossible to tell apart. Labels and patterns help all users. Alt text supports users with disability, which is one part of data accessibility. An uncommon file format stops people who need the data from opening it.

Common mistakes: Staff cannot use data they have no permission to open. To be accessible, the file needs read permission for all staff, not 'none'. A scanned image has no text for a screen reader to read, so a blind user cannot access it. The data should be a text table with alt text.

Class: _____________________  ·  Name: _____________________  ·  Date: _________

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Learning
Duo
Which data is more accessible to a teacher who only has a spreadsheet program?
A file in a format that only specialist software can openA CSV file that opens in the spreadsheet
Matches
Data saved as results.xyz (special software needed)
↓
The file is in an unusual format that most users cannot open, so the data is not accessible. Save it in a common format such as CSV or XLSX.
Applying
Meanings
Term
Accessibility
Meaning
How easily the people who need data can find it, open it and use it, including having the right file format, the right permissions and support for users with disability.
Practice
<table>
Testing
Gaps
<img src="chart.png" ="Sales chart">
Check Answer
Spots
2Format: CSV (opens in Excel)
3Permission: none for all staff

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Quick Questions

1. Which data is more accessible to a teacher who only has a spreadsheet program?
A. A file in a format that only specialist software can open
B. A CSV file that opens in the spreadsheet ✓
Accessible data is in a file format that users can open with the tools they have.
2. True or false: Data stored on a server is accessible to a user even if they have no permission to open it.
A. False ✓
B. True
If a user lacks the right permissions, they cannot open or use the data, so it is not accessible to them.
3. A student needs to update a shared class spreadsheet. Which permission makes the data accessible for this task?
A. Write permission ✓
B. Read-only permission
Read-only lets users view data but not change it. To update the data, they need write permission.
4. Which choice best supports a user who is vision impaired and uses a screen reader?
A. A chart saved only as an image with no description
B. A table with clear column headings and text descriptions for charts ✓
Screen readers read text. Images with no text description cannot be understood, so the data is not accessible.
5. True or false: Accessibility only describes how fast data can be downloaded.
A. False ✓
B. True
Accessibility is about whether people can find, open and use the data, including file format, permissions and support for users with disability.

Match the Pairs

report.csv → A file saved in a common, open format that many programs and devices can open
<img src="graph.png" alt="Sales rose in 2024"> → An image with alternative text so a screen reader can describe it to a user with vision impairment
Permissions control who is allowed to open or change a file, so users who need the data must be given access → chmod +r survey.xlsx
A file format that the user's software cannot open makes data hard to use, so it should be saved in a format they can open → Save As: survey.csv
Data saved as results.xyz (special software needed) → The file is in an unusual format that most users cannot open, so the data is not accessible. Save it in a common format such as CSV or XLSX.
<img src="chart.png"> → The image has no alt text, so a screen reader user cannot access the information. Add an alt attribute that describes the chart.

Key Term

Accessibility
How easily the people who need data can find it, open it and use it, including having the right file format, the right permissions and support for users with disability.

Fill in the Blanks

1. <img src="chart.png" alt="Sales chart">
Hint: Type the attribute that gives an image a text description for screen reader users.
2. # Students may view marks but not change them access = "read"
Hint: Type the permission that lets a user open and view data without changing it.
3. # Open format that any spreadsheet can read export("survey", format="csv")
Hint: Type the plain-text file format that most spreadsheet and database tools can open.
4. <table> <tr><th>Region</th><th>Sales</th></tr> </table>
Hint: Type the tag for a table header cell so screen readers can announce column titles.
5. <html lang="en-AU"> <title>Census results</title> </html>
Hint: Type the attribute that tells screen readers which language the page uses.

Spot the Error

Question 1
A File: sales_2024.csv
B Format: CSV (opens in Excel)
C Permission: none for all staff
D Accessible: yes
Line C — Staff cannot use data they have no permission to open. To be accessible, the file needs read permission for all staff, not 'none'.
Question 2
A Data: staff survey results
B Users: blind staff member
C Format: scanned image only
D Tool: screen reader reads it
Line C — A scanned image has no text for a screen reader to read, so a blind user cannot access it. The data should be a text table with alt text.
Question 3
A Teacher: no access
B Student: read only
C Teacher enters marks weekly
Line A — The teacher has to enter the marks each week, so they need write permission as well as read. 'No access' would stop them from using the data.
Question 4
A Goal: staff open it on phones
B Format: .xyz (special app)
C Result: all staff can open it
Line B — A format that needs a special app will not open on every phone. A common format like CSV lets all staff open the data.
Question 5
A Purpose: staff run the tool
B Permission needed: read only
C Grant to: staff group
Line B — Read only lets users view the file but not run it. Staff who need to run the tool must be given execute permission.

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