Data Quality

The quality field returned in responses throughout the API is a measure from 1 (best) to 5 (worst) of the data’s quality. This value is calculated using an approach based on the PEF Quality Rating, which is an emerging industry standard. You can use this field to understand the accuracy of the API’s response. The following table relates the value of quality to its meaning:

Data quality metric (quality)	Meaning
1	The data is of high quality. It is geographically, temporally, and technically representative.
2-4	The data is of variable quality. It may be for a different geographical area, for a different time, or using unrepresentative technologies.
5	The data is of low quality. It is not geographically, temporally, or technically representative.

We calculate the value using a combination of a few factors:

Geographical relevance - Is the disclosed carbon footprint valid in the requested region?
Temporal relevance - Is the disclosed carbon footprint valid in the requested time?
Technical relevance - Is the technology used to calculate the carbon footprint relevant to the request?

We’re working on adding more factors to ensure accurate quality reporting.

Examples

To better illustrate the quality metric, here are a few examples.

Your request is…	DitchCarbon’s has data on….	Quality (approximate)
Apple’s Emissions in the UK	Apple’s emissions in the UK	1
Apple’s Emission in the US	Apple’s emissions in the UK	2
Apple’s emissions in 2015	Apple’s emissions in 2019	3
Bob’s fish and chips (small company with no published carbon footprint)	Restaurants in the UK in 2018	4
Bob’s fish and chips in Australia in the year 2000	Restaurants in the UK in 2018	5