Become an Approved Data Contributor

Approved Data Contributors

Earth Track allows a select group of subsidy researchers the right to upload reports or other subsidy information onto the site.  If you believe you have expertise in the area of environmentally-harmful subsidies and would like to be considered for upload approval, please complete the form here.  Incomplete applications will not be considered further.

Areas of third-party input that we will consider include:

• Subsidy-related documents.  If you know of publications on subsidies to natural resources that we do not have in our resource database, approved users can upload information.

Uploaded documents go through site administrator review, so will not show up immediately on the site.  Documents that are copyrighted by other parties can't be uploaded directly on the site, though can still be included in the resource database via a link link to them if they are hosted elsewhere on the web.

• Run an Earth Track web page on an area of specific subsidy-related expertise.  For individuals with specific expertise in a subsidy-related area that we believe would be of interest to our users, we can provide you with a page (or pages) on the Earth Track site to write on that topic.  Examples might include the details of specific subsidy measurement methods, international policy on oil security, the link between civilian nuclear energy and nuclear proliferation, or specialized subsidy areas such as Canadian support of asbestos production. 
  
  The specific terms of these agreements will be worked out individually.  For people wishing to have the page show their name and/or organization, the platform can be a good way to educate the public on these importance of your area of expertise and to provide increased leverage to your other work.  Under certain circumstances where topical experts cannot have their name listed, this can also be accommodated.  To submit a proposal, contact us at partnerships (AT) earthtrack.net. 

Research Partnerships and Consulting Services

Earth Track frequently works with other organizations on subsidy-related research projects.  These can take a variety of forms, from straight consulting (generally with the right to publish the resultant subsidy information on the website for the benefit of all users) to co-development projects to build subsidy tracking and valuation capabilities and subsidy data sets.  Much of our past subsidy work has been completed this way.  Please direct inquiries or letters of interest to partnerships (AT) earthtrack.net.

Privacy Protection on Information Provided

Users can provide subsidy information in three main ways: acknowledged contributions, background contributions, and anonymous contributions:

• Acknowledged Contributions. We recognize the hard work that goes in to identifying government interventions and trying to assess their magnitude and impacts, and we want to be sure contributors receive proper credit for this work. Thus, unless otherwise requested, we will cite contributions back to the provider on our site and in our products.

• Background Contributions. In some cases, contributors may wish not to be identified on the site. This is also fine. Site administrators will need to know the source in order to verify accuracy, but we will not post your name on with the data. 

• Anonymous Contributions. Approved users or others who are interested in providing subsidy information anonymously can do so using anonymous e-mails (e.g., http://www.nonymouse.com/). Learn more about the large variety of options at http://www.epic.org/privacy/tools.html.
  
  Earth Track will not know the name or location of the contributor at all when anonymous e-mail is used. We will treat information provided this way as "Tips" requiring important follow-up. Information will be included on the site it if appears important, but with appropriate caveats regarding the unknown source or quality of the information.  If possible, anonymous providers should include references to existing documents or data sources that would allow corroboration of the information provided.  Please note that even anonymous remailers may not be anonymous if your computer is compromised, or if your particular country systematically monitors web users.  Thus, contributions that may be anonymously received by us can still potentially be tracked and monitored within your country.