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Sharing data with outside collaborators

Updated

Sharing data with outside collaborators can be done in one of two ways:

  1. You can download data yourself via the web app or the API and share it directly with your collaborators via a file-sharing service such as Dropbox, Box, or OneDrive.
  2. You can add the collaborator to a Network that contains the device which will allow them to access and download data for the device directly.

At QuantAQ, we recommend the second approach.

 

Share data via a file-sharing service

If your team utilizes a file-sharing service such as Box, Dropbox, OneNote, etc., you can download files via the web interface and/or the QuantAQ API and share them with whomever you choose offline. This approach offers a number of benefits, such as:

  • you can directly control which files your collaborators can access
  • collaborators are not required to have QuantAQ accounts
  • it is a direct and simple option for sharing only a few data files

However, it also has some drawbacks, namely that downloading and storing many files can quickly become unwieldy and unscalable.

 

Share data via the QuantAQ Cloud

QuantAQ recommends creating a Network and adding the device(s) and user(s) that you would like to provide access to. For instructions on how to use Networks to your advantage, please see the related articles on the subject.

 

The Networks framework for sharing data offers a number of benefits:

  • you can add as many collaborators as you want to a given Network
  • your collaborators can log in and download exactly what data they need when they need it
  • you can create multiple Networks if you would like to provide access to a subset of sensors to different groups of collaborators

There are also a few drawbacks, depending on the level of control you'd like to have over your data:

  • all collaborators will need their own QuantAQ Cloud account before you can provide access
  • all collaborators that you invite to a Network will be able to access the data for all devices which belong to the Network
  • there is currently no way to limit the time frame over which a collaborator can view the data for a sensor

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