‘intelligent openness’
The common objective of an
RCUK data policy
C4D workshop, Glasgow 12 July 2013
Gregor McDonagh
NERC Research Information Manager
grmc@nerc.ac.uk
data.ac.uk/ARMA meeting – 5 July
Last Friday and onwards:
• New ideas for taking forward RCUK data policy
• Research Outcomes harmonisation – UKRISS role explained
• RF/ROS options analysis
Interoperability – the UK Research
Information Shared Service (UKRISS) ?
See: http://ukriss.cerch.kcl.ac.uk/uk-research-information-shared-service-ukriss-project/
ORCID/ISNI
People &
Organisation
Names Authority
ROS
ORCID/
CrossRef
FundRef
PMC
CrossRef
Publication
Names Authority
Research
Fish
HEBCI
Gateway to
Research
UKRISS
HEI CRIS/
IR (e.g.
PURE)
Publishers
HEI CRIS/
IR (e.g.
Symplectic)
Repository
Broker
????
Research Grant
Names Authority
HEI CRIS/
IR (e.g
Avidas)
WOS, DCI,
Scopus
DataCite
Dryad
DataCite
Dataset Names
Authority
RCUK data policy
Science as an open enterprise
Six key areas for action:
1. Scientists need to be more open among themselves and with
the public and media
2. Greater recognition needs to be given to the value of data
gathering, analysis and communication
3. Common standards for sharing information are required to
make it widely usable
4. Publishing data in a reusable form to support findings must be
mandatory
5. More experts in managing and supporting the use of digital
data are required
6. New software tools need to be developed to analyse the
growing amount of data being gathered
RCUK data policy
G8 Science Ministers, 12 June:
“We are committed to openness in scientific research
data to speed up the progress of scientific discovery,
create innovation, ensure that the results of scientific
research are as widely available as practical, enable
transparency in science and engage the public in the
scientific process.”
RCUK data policy
G8 principles:
i.
To the greatest extent and with the fewest constraints possible publicly funded scientific
research data should be open, while at the same time respecting concerns in relation to
privacy, safety, security and commercial interests, whilst acknowledging the legitimate
concerns of private partners.
ii.
Open scientific research data should be easily discoverable, accessible, assessable,
intelligible, useable, and wherever possible interoperable to specific quality standards.
iii.
To maximise the value that can be realised from data, the mechanisms for delivering
open scientific research data should be efficient and cost effective, and consistent with
the potential benefits.
iv.
To ensure successful adoption by scientific communities, open scientific research data
principles will need to be underpinned by an appropriate policy environment, including
recognition of researchers fulfilling these principles, and appropriate digital infrastructure.
RCUK data policy
The seven principles:
1.
2.
3.
4.
OA to data a public good
data management practices
metadata for discoverability
Constraints
security, confidentiality, ethical, rigour
5. privileged use/embargos
6. acknowledgement/citation
7. funding
RCUK data policy
Consensus between Councils:
1. Scrutiny of underlying data assures integrity of the
scientific process
2. Reuse/repurposing offers new ways to combine
data for inter-disciplinary or translational
opportunities, ie supports fundamental research
and generates new opportunities for impact
3. Data capture, labelling, archiving and access adds
costs – need to be pragmatic about what is kept,
where, for how long and with what accessibility
RCUK data policy
Variations in individual Council policies:
• Diverse terminology
• Historic variation in curation practices by discipline
• Data Management Plans mandated with proposals
by all Councils but EPSRC (onus more on HEIs)
• ESRC and NERC have Dedicated Data Centres
(active migration of formats; help with selectivity
and application of metadata; on expectation of more
reuse and repurposing)
RCUK data policy
Progress:
• Retaining 7 principles though seeking to take out
repetition and overlap (cf G8 statements)
More thought going into:
•
•
•
•
A common vocabulary
How to harmonise practices
Strengthening metadata standards
Sharing mechanisms during period of privileged use
RCUK data policy
Influenced by
Internal Audit recommendations:
• establish definition for Scientific Data (software out
treating separately)
• develop data Assurance Framework
• review data retention requirements (min 10 years)
• what technical support can be offered to institutions
RCUK data policy
Influenced by
Codata: a forum for international co-ordination on:
• Policy and institutional Frameworks for Data
• Frontiers in Data Science and Technology
• Data Strategies for International Science
RCUK data policy
Influenced by
Codata: a forum for international co-ordination on:
• Policy and institutional Frameworks for Data
co-ordination role setting policy agenda
• Frontiers in Data Science and Technology
data citations standards
• Data Strategies for International Science
infrastructure
RCUK data policy
Influenced by
UK data archive: comparison of metadata standards
See http://data-archive.ac.uk/media/398085/rde_metadataprofile_public_02_00.pdf
Emerging thoughts:
•
•
•
RCUK policy take up Gemini 2 standard to cover goespatial discovery needs
Gemini 2 standard to add FunderName and GrantID
Encourage Thomson-Reuters to broaden the metadata fields for its Data
Citations Index to cover geospatial.
Further information
1.
Royal Society Report: Science as an open enterprise
http://royalsociety.org/policy/projects/science-public-enterprise/report
2.
G8 Science Ministers Statement, 12 June 2013
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/206801/G8_Science_Meeting_Statement_12_June_2013.pdf
3.
Royal Society Report: Science as an open enterprise
http://royalsociety.org/policy/projects/science-public-enterprise/report/
4.
RCUK Policy and Guidelines on Governance of Good Research Conduct
http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/documents/reviews/grc/RCUKPolicyandGuidelinesonGovernanceofGoodResearchPracticeFebruary2013.pdf
5.
Codata strategic plan 2013-2018
www.codata.org/CODATA_Strategic_%20Plan_2013-2018.pdf
6.
RCUK data policy
www.rcuk.ac.uk/research/Pages/DataPolicy.aspx
7.
NERC data policy
www.nerc.ac.uk/research/sites/data/policy.asp
8.
UKDA comparison of data metadata standards
http://data-archive.ac.uk/media/398085/rde_metadataprofile_public_02_00.pdf
9.
NERC discovery metadata standard
http://data-search.nerc.ac.uk/documents/metadatastandard_v1.0.pdf
10.
NERC data value checklist
www.nerc.ac.uk/research/sites/data/documents/data-value-checklist.pdf
RCUK data policy
The NERC data centres and their scientific disciplines are:
• British Atmospheric Data Centre (BADC) ‐ Atmospheric science
• National Geoscience Data Centre (NGDC) ‐ Earth sciences
• NERC Earth Observation Data Centre (NEODC) ‐ Earth observation
• British Oceanographic Data Centre (BODC) ‐ Marine Science
• Polar Data Centre (PDC) ‐ Polar Science
• Environmental Information Data Centre (EIDC) ‐ Terrestrial & freshwater science, Hydrology
and Bioinformatics
• UK Solar System Data Centre – Solar‐terrestrial physics
• Archaeology Data Service (ADS)* ‐ Science‐based archaeology