Issues In Open Research Data

n 2010 the Panton Principles for Open Data in Science were published. These principles were founded upon the idea that Science is based on building on, reusing and openly criticising the published body of scientific knowledge’ (http://pantonprinciples.org) and they provide a succinct list of the fundamentals to observe when making your data open. Intended for a broad audience of academics, publishers and librarians, Issues in Research Data explores the implications of the Panton Principles through a number of perspectives on open research data in the sciences and beyond. The book features chapters by open data experts in a range of academic disciplines, covering practical information on licensing, ethics, and advice for data curators, alongside more theoretical issues surrounding the adoption of open data. As the book is open access, each chapter can stand alone from the main volume so that communities can host, distribute, build upon and remix the content that is relevant to them. Readers can access the online version via the QR code or DOI link at the front of the book.

Modern information and communication technologies, together with a cultural upheaval within the research community, have profoundly changed research in nearly every aspect. Ranging from sharing and discussing ideas in social networks for scientists to new collaborative environments and novel publication formats, knowledge creation and dissemination as we know it is experiencing a vigorous shift towards increased transparency, collaboration and accessibility. Many assume that research workflows will change more in the next 20 years than they have in the last 200. This book provides researchers, decision makers, and other scientific stakeholders with a snapshot of the basics, the tools, and the underlying visions that drive the current scientific (r)evolution, often called ‘Open Science.’

This book shows how the vision for open access to scientific data can be more readily achieved through a staged model that research funders, policy makers, scientists, and research organizations can adopt in their practice. Drawing on her own experiences with data processing, on early findings with open scientific data at CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research), and from case studies of shared clinical trial data, the author updates our understanding of research data - what it is; how it dynamically evolves across different scientific disciplines and across various stages of research practice; and how it can, and indeed should, be shared at any of those stages. The result is a flexible and pragmatic path for implementing open scientific data.

Intended for a broad audience of academics, publishers and librarians, Issues in Research Data explores the implications of the Panton Principles for Open Data in Science through a number of perspectives on open research data in the sciences and beyond. The book features chapters by open data experts in a range of academic disciplines, covering practical information on licensing, ethics, and advice for data curators, alongside more theoretical issues surrounding the adoption of open data.

It’s been ten years since open data first broke onto the global stage. Over the past decade, thousands of programmes and projects around the world have worked to open data and use it to address a myriad of social and economic challenges. Meanwhile, issues related to data rights and privacy have moved to the centre of public and political discourse. As the open data movement enters a new phase in its evolution, shifting to target real-world problems and embed open data thinking into other existing or emerging communities of practice, big questions still remain. How will open data initiatives respond to new concerns about privacy, inclusion, and artificial intelligence? And what can we learn from the last decade in order to deliver impact where it is most needed? The State of Open Data brings together over 60 authors from around the world to address these questions and to take stock of the real progress made to date across sectors and around the world, uncovering the issues that will shape the future of open data in the years to come.

This book examines the nature, extent and implications of rapid strides digitalization has made in India since the turn of the millennium. These have been examined not merely in the sphere of information and communication technology (ICT) but its multifarious applications spreading across almost all aspects of production, services and institutions which have profound repercussions for the transformation of the society and economy at the micro, meso and macro levels. With contributions from both ICT scholars and social scientists, this book presents diverse scenarios and unravels challenges faced in the process of technical applications, access by the users of these disruptive technologies (automation, e-commerce, big data analytics & algorithms, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, etc.) which, unlike heavy machines (embodied technology), mostly defy physical space, pace of mobility and inoperability between technologies. Chapters in this volume address challenges and possibilities in establishing and operating intricate engineering infrastructure, technical and societal constraints encountered in broad-basing digitalization across layers of educational and social skills conducive to difficult geographies. Issues dealt within this book include farming, healthcare, education, food processing, e-commerce, labour, rural community development, open source data and information democracy. The chapters also reflect upon implications on local economy and society, of the very global nature of these seamless technologies where inter-operability remains the quintessential advantage of digitalization whether promoted or spearheaded through the state, private sector or global capital. The book critiques policy inadequacies and suggests plausible policy approaches to reduce the adverse impacts of fast digitalization and broad-base potential benefits across space and levels of socio-economic development of regions and society. This book would be of interest to scholars, practitioners, technocrats, industry analysts, policy makers and civil society agencies.

As digital technologies are expanding the power and reach of research, they are also raising complex issues. These include complications in ensuring the validity of research data; standards that do not keep pace with the high rate of innovation; restrictions on data sharing that reduce the ability of researchers to verify results and build on previous research; and huge increases in the amount of data being generated, creating severe challenges in preserving that data for long-term use. Ensuring the Integrity, Accessibility, and Stewardship of Research Data in the Digital Age examines the consequences of the changes affecting research data with respect to three issues - integrity, accessibility, and stewardship-and finds a need for a new approach to the design and the management of research projects. The report recommends that all researchers receive appropriate training in the management of research data, and calls on researchers to make all research data, methods, and other information underlying results publicly accessible in a timely manner. The book also sees the stewardship of research data as a critical long-term task for the research enterprise and its stakeholders. Individual researchers, research institutions, research sponsors, professional societies, and journals involved in scientific, engineering, and medical research will find this book an essential guide to the principles affecting research data in the digital age.

This report presents current policy practice to promote access to publicly funded data for science, technology and innovation, as well as policy challenges for the future. It examines national policies and international initiatives, and identifies seven issues that require policy attention.