How do you communicate and report the results of accuracy assessment to different stakeholders?

1 Know your audience

The first step in communicating and reporting the results of accuracy assessment is to know your audience and tailor your message accordingly. Depending on who you are addressing, you may need to adjust the level of detail, the format, the tone, and the purpose of your communication. For example, a client or a funder may be more interested in the overall accuracy and the impact of your map products, while a manager or a colleague may want to know more about the methodology and the limitations of your accuracy assessment. A general public audience may require more background information and visual aids to understand the basic concepts and the relevance of your work.

2 Use appropriate metrics

The second step is to use appropriate metrics to quantify and communicate the accuracy of your map products. There are various metrics that can be used to measure the accuracy of a map product, such as overall accuracy, producer's accuracy, user's accuracy, kappa coefficient, error matrix, or confidence intervals. However, not all metrics are equally suitable or understandable for different audiences. For example, overall accuracy may be a simple and intuitive metric for a general audience, but it may not capture the variability and uncertainty of the map product. On the other hand, kappa coefficient may be a more robust and comprehensive metric for a technical audience, but it may not be easily interpreted or explained to a non-technical audience. Therefore, you should choose the metrics that best suit your audience's needs and expectations, and explain them clearly and concisely.

3 Explain the methods

The third step is to explain the methods that you used to conduct the accuracy assessment. This includes describing how you selected the reference data, how you compared the map product with the reference data, how you calculated the accuracy metrics, and how you validated and verified the results. You should also mention any assumptions, limitations, sources of error, or uncertainties that may affect the accuracy assessment, and how you addressed or mitigated them. Explaining the methods can help your audience understand the strengths and weaknesses of your accuracy assessment, and the reliability and validity of your map products.

4 Provide visual aids

The fourth step is to provide visual aids to support and illustrate your accuracy assessment results. Visual aids can help your audience grasp the main points, compare the map product with the reference data, identify the sources of error, or see the spatial patterns of accuracy. Some examples of visual aids are tables, charts, graphs, maps, or images. However, you should be careful not to overload your audience with too much or too complex information, and to use clear and consistent labels, legends, colors, symbols, and scales. You should also provide captions, titles, and references for your visual aids, and explain how to interpret them.

5 Highlight the implications

The fifth step is to highlight the implications of your accuracy assessment results for your audience. This means explaining what the results mean for the objectives, outcomes, and impacts of your remote sensing project, and how they can be used or applied by your audience. For example, you can discuss how the accuracy of your map products affects the decision-making, planning, monitoring, or evaluation of your project, or how it relates to the broader context or challenges of your field or sector. You can also provide recommendations, suggestions, or feedback on how to improve the accuracy of your map products, or how to address or overcome the limitations or challenges of your accuracy assessment.

6 Engage your audience

The sixth and final step is to engage your audience and invite them to ask questions, share feedback, or provide input on your accuracy assessment results. This can help you establish rapport, trust, and credibility with your audience, and also learn from their perspectives, experiences, or needs. You can also use this opportunity to thank your audience for their attention, interest, or support, and to provide contact information or resources for further communication or information.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?