Data should be ‘open’ and abide by FAIR standards. “FAIR stands for findable, accessible, interoperable, resuable. The aim is that open data ‘can be freely used, modified, and shared by anyone for any purpose’, The Open Definition. “
While there are some exceptions, water quality data collected by communities should aim to be open and usable for all. The better our data management practices, the more used the data will be.
If you’re new to data standards, Water Rangers has a good introduction.