This is the twenty first in the series of short statements from candidates in the coming CODATA Elections at the General Assembly to be held on 27-28 October, 2023. Giri Prakash is a candidate for the CODATA Executive Committee as an Ordinary Member. He was nominated by the USA.
I am honored to submit my nomination for the esteemed role of an executive committee member within CODATA. With my extensive experience and contributions to the field of scientific data management, I am excited to express my dedication to furthering the mission and goals of CODATA.
Currently, I serve as the Section Head for the Earth System Informatics and Data Discovery Section at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. In this role, I have the responsibility of overseeing two World Data System (WDS) member data centers: the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Facility (ARM) Data Center and the ORNL NASA Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC) for Biogeochemical Dynamics.
As the Chief Data and Computing Officer of the US Department of Energy’s Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Facility (ARM), I provide leadership and management of data services, with a primary focus on operational activities and engineering aimed at maintaining and advancing excellence in data management.
One of my notable achievements is providing leadership of the ARM Data Center, which currently houses nearly 5 petabytes of data from over 11,000 diverse observational data products. I have led the development and execution of multi-year plans, ensuring that the next-generation computing architecture can meet the increasing demands of data volume, rates, complexity, and the challenges of high-resolution modeling.
With over 21 years of experience in scientific data management, I have become a recognized expert in areas such as data discovery, metadata, data interoperability, FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable) data principles, data citation, computing-as-a-service, web services, and visualization. My latest research interest involves harnessing AI/ML capabilities in scientific data center operations, contributing to the cause of open science.
My active involvement in CODATA conferences and data management sessions is evidence of my dedication to advancing the field. I have previously led sessions on making data centers ready for AI during SciDataCon 2021 and 2022, and am scheduled to lead an AI on scientific repositories session and chair a metadata interoperability session at the upcoming IDW 2023 conference. I recently participated in the National Research Data Summit in the US and led a discussion on data quality for effective data sharing and interoperability. Furthermore, I actively participate in various international data-sharing and interoperability working groups, data management workshops, and conferences.
My extensive experience in working with multinational projects, such as MOSAIC, polar data integration, and biodiversity networks across continents, is a testament to my global perspective on data management. I am currently serving a four-year term on the U.S. National Committee for CODATA (USNC/CODATA), demonstrating my commitment to the organization.
During my initial tenure as a CODATA executive committee member, I actively contributed to various data management and data policy discussions. I represented and participated in CODATA General Assembly meetings and working group sessions, fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange with the World Data Systems.
I believe that my unique combination of over two decades of experience in scientific data management, coupled with my ongoing commitment to staying at the forefront of emerging technologies and best data practices, equips me with the skills and vision necessary to make a meaningful contribution to CODATA’s executive committee. My leadership role in managing data centers, along with my efforts to adapt AI and machine learning capabilities for scientific data management, align well with CODATA’s mission to advance data-intensive cross-domain research activities. I am dedicated to fostering international collaboration and promoting data interoperability, which I consider pivotal in solving complex questions in Earth sciences, such as Earth System predictability and climate change. By serving as an executive committee member, I am eager to extend my support to CODATA in furthering its mission and contributing to the advancement of scientific data management on a global scale.
I received a master of science degree in environmental sciences from Memorial University in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada in 2000, and also hold a diploma in object-oriented software technology from the University of Calgary in Canada. In addition, I have a master of science degree in soil science and a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University in Coimbatore, India.