Registration is now open for the RDAP (Research Data Access and Preservation Association) 2020 Summit in Santa Fe, NM! The Summit, which will take place at the Santa Fe Convention Center, will run March 11 and 12, with an additional day of workshops on March 13. Registration for the Summit is $209; workshops are an additional $50 each, although one is being provided free of charge thanks to a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. You can also now view our program schedule, including on Sched.

We are happy to announce the Call for Proposals for the 8th Annual North American Data Documentation Initiative Conference (NADDI).  The Data Documentation Initiative (DDI) is an international standard for describing the data produced by surveys and other observational methods in the social, behavioral, economic, and health sciences.

NADDI 2020 Theme

The conference theme is “Making Data FAIR by using Metadata Standards.”

The main conference sponsor is IPUMS at the University of Minnesota Institute for Social Research and Data Innovation.

Aimed at individuals working in and around research data and metadata, NADDI 2020 seeks submissions of presentations and posters that highlight the use of DDI and other metadata standards within research projects, official statistics, survey operations, academic libraries, and data archives.

Proposals can include:

• Presentations
• Panels
• Posters
• Workshops or Tutorials

Important Information

• March 6: Deadline for conference proposals
• March 31: Notification of acceptance
• May 31: Early rate registration deadline
• Conference Dates: June 17-19, 2020
• Conference Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota

How to Submit

Submissions may be made through the conference web site.  The proposal deadline is March 6, 2020.

SPEAKERS:

• Erin Robinson – Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP)
• Dr Steven McEachern – Australian Data Archive, ANU
• Alena Rybkina – Committee on Data of the International Science Council (CODATA)
• John Broome – Committee on Data of the International Science Council (CODATA)
• Francoise Perlman – FourBridges
• Dr Ben Evans – National Computational Infrastructure (NCI)
• Magdalena Brus – Integrated Carbon Observation System (ICOS) European Research
• Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC), ENVRI

SUMMARY:

• Building on the FAIR principles, this session explored a series of pilots and initiatives currently underway to develop data infrastructures and to increase collaboration and access to the increasing surge of data currently being captured globally. There has been some headway in the global north, but less in the global south.
• Collaboration was identified as a major obstacle to increase cross-institutional, multi-disciplinary and international access to de-fragment the data landscape.
• By improving the access and collaboration across disciplines, it will be possible to better address socioeconomic problems such as responses to infectious diseases, disaster risk reduction and building resilient cities.
• Using the FAIR principles to unify data across a range of sources and data types requires the development of pilots to test how this unification and inter-operability of data would be undertaken.
• It is important to recognize how different disciplines can offer insights to different data problems or questions, but still work together to address larger societal problems.
• As the amount, quality and type of data available grows rapidly, it is equally important to ensure that the data infrastructure grows with it in order to process it. At the moment, the infrastructure is somewhat lagging behind.
• By developing and investing in the data infrastructure, it is possible to make the data easier to access and use, and make the data smarter and better targeted to the problems it is used to address. However, there are challenges for business models, societal models and policy/governance issues. Of serious concern is that the people working on the policy around data and data infrastructure cannot keep up or understand the challenges.
• While there are many groups working towards de-siloing data and data infrastructure, there needs to be an umbrella approach to avoid duplication of efforts and unify the approach. CODATA is leading the design and execution of a Decadal Programme that will address the data interoperability challenge  identified in the International Science Council’s  2019-2021 Action Plan. The Decadal Program is currently being developed to address this issue and is seeking expressions of interest to help in its development.
• The session brought together individuals from around the world and many different organisations who are interested in addressing this concept of a multi-disciplinary, democratization of data.
• During discussion there was some concern regarding ethical issues around data accessibility and sharing that still needs to be addressed.

QUOTES:  John Broome (CODATA): ‘Partnerships will be critical. Clearly no one organisation can hope to achieve the overall goal.’

ABSTRACT:
Accessing and integrating data from heterogeneous sources is a significant barrier facing evidence-based responses to global grand challenges. To address this ISC-CODATA is preparing an international, coordinating research program; ESIP has developed a community of practice around earth science data standards; and ENVRI aims to align and share FAIR compliant in-situ data and services. This workshop will 1) invite the GEO community to engage with these initiatives; 2) examine specific challenges relating to data accessibility, interoperability and reusability (FAIR); and 3) examine these issues around a set of pilot case studies, including infectious diseases, resilient cities and disaster risk reduction.

Grand challenges need to access and integrate data from many different sources. Discovery and interoperability mechanisms are frequently suboptimal.  Time and space is usually a key to integration, and remote sensing and in-situ Earth observation data play a crucial role.  The session will allow detailed exploration of the issues in relation to case studies of significance to the GEO community.  The workshop will explore the applicability and potential of the FAIR principles, ‘fitness for use’ criteria, Operational Readiness Levels, alignment of metadata specifications, and data cubes to contribute towards the solutions needed to assist data integration.

PRESENTATION:

Please find the presentation here.

Organizers

• International Science Council – ISC
• CODATA – Committee on Data of the ISC
• ESIP – Earth Science Information Partners (US)
• ARDC – Australian Research Data Commons
• The National Committee for Data in Science (NCDiS) of the AAS – Australian Academy of science
• AuScope
• NCI – National Computational Infrastructure (Australia)
• CSIRO (Australia)
• The European Environmental Research Infrastructure Community (ENVRI

Contact

John Broome (CODATA), Erin Robinson (ESIP) (johnhbroome@gmail.com, erinrobinson@esipfed.org)

Name: Henry Mibei
Designation: Operations Manager Mobile, Africa
Organization: CAB International

CODATA 2019 conference: Towards next-generation data-driven science: policies, practices and platforms

Background:

CODATA exists to promote global collaboration to improve the availability and usability of data for all areas of research. CODATA supports the principle that data produced by research and likely to be used for research should be as open as possible and as closed as necessary. CODATA works also to advance the interoperability and the usability of such data: “Research data should be intelligently open or FAIR”. By promoting the policy, technological and cultural changes that are essential to make research data more widely available and more usable, CODATA helps advance ICSU’s mission of strengthening international science for the benefit of society. The conference, themed, ‘Towards next-generation data-driven science: policies, practices and platforms’  was organized by CODATA and CODATA-China with support from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) of P. R. China, China Association for Science and Technology (CAST), and National Natural Science Foundation of China. The conference attracted more than 300 participants from six continents and representing 45 countries.

Objective of the Conference

This conference provided a significant opportunity to survey and examine developments in open data policies from a global perspective.

My Objectives

• To present a The paper was accepted for publication in the Data science journal. http://datascience.codata.org/.
• To build networks with academics and experts and to share thoughts on advances and technological breakthroughs for future business
• To increase visibility of CABI the organization I work for, and CODATA who sponsored my attendance in the conference

Science globally is being transformed by new digital technologies. At the same time addressing the major global challenges of the age requires the analysis of vast quantities of heterogeneous  data  from multiple  sources.   In  response,  many  countries,  regions  and scientific domains have developed Research Infrastructures to assist with the management, stewardship and analysis. These developments have been stimulated by Open Science policies and practices, both those developed by funders and those that have emerged from communities. The FAIR principles and supporting practices seek to accelerate this process and unlock the potential of analysis at scale with machines.

Benefit to attending the Conference

Attending the conference gave me an opportunity to showcase my research findings in open science space. Networking and exposure also gave me an opportunity for future collaboration. It was an opportunity to increase the visibility of CABI and CODATA.

• Interacting with researchers and experts in this International forum was a good way of increasing CABI’s visibility in the data science space, a current and trending area for business
• CABI as the current host of the GODAN secretariat, which advocates for open data and open access policy as well as release and reusability of data for improved environmental and social outcomes needs to be more represented in similar forums to showcase our strengths in data science as we week new partnerships in the My attendance to the conference was a benefit to CABI.
• CABI’s research is diverse and large quantities of data are gathered and generated therefore maintaining a good relationship and publishing in the CODATA science journal and other affiliated journals gives CABI more options to publish data science related work in a wide array of journals improving knowledge access and

Title of Presentation(s):

Session Title: Building resilience on food security and nutrition through Open Data https://conference.codata.org/CODATA_2019/sessions/143

 Programme

Onsite Presentations

This session was primarily chaired by Henry Mibei where eight papers were presented, four papers onsite and four presented remotely. Henry noted that resilience building will require the use of timely and accurate data/information that leverages on technologies that build on agro-ecological knowledge and the entire agricultural value chain layers comprising farmers, environment information and agricultural practices. Henry presented a paper on designing user-centered decision support tools for agriculture outlining the lessons from the development and deployment of a fertilizer optimization tool. HM outlined that any digital product should be developed considering user’s requirements, objectives and feedback. “If we don’t solve real problems for our users, they’re not going to give us business. Design has to do with intention and that intention is always to solve a human problem. Successful systems and products begin with an understanding of the needs and requirements of the users”.

Highlights:

• Information ranging from climate and rainfall patterns, droughts, trends in crop pests and diseases to the number of farmers in a particular area should be put in the public domain so that it can be easily accessed to facilitate decision-making
• There is often too much information available to make a clear decision, with so much data to sort through, you need something more from the There is a need then to think about the capacity to analyse data and to apply that information to decision-making.
• Open data is crucial in modernizing food production systems and governments in particular should strive to make it accessible especially to the smallholder
• Question on sustainability of donor projects emerged e. being able to perform and deliver project benefits to the primary target group after the funding from a donor terminates. What should be done? Sustainability requires long term planning to facilitate diverse donor engagement and to improve institutional capacity of the target population. It is important to integrate sustainability aspects in the project right from the beginning. This will help to develop partnerships and relations with relevant stakeholders at an early stage of project development and ensure that once the primary funding terminates there is a strong support to continue delivering project’s objectives. It is also important to involve key stakeholders in program development. As part of the project activities initiate multi-stakeholder dialogue workshops should be conducted to involve relevant people in the project.
  

Benefits/Value add to CODATA

• The visibility of CODATA was quite excellent
• This was an opportunity for CODATA to increase its visibility to more than 300 delegates and the rest of the world that never came through the
• CODATA was acknowledged in my presentation slides and the presentation was also linked to a story published in CABI’s website accessed in the link https://www.cabi.org/news-article/fertilizer-optimization-tool-to-increase-farmers-  yields-highlighted-at-codata-2019-conference/
• CABI has a global presence, with 500 CABI staff in different continents.
• Refer to Henry Mibei’s presentation, co-written with Rware, ‘Desig ning User –Centered Decision Support T ools f or Agriculture’ which is downloadable from the SCRIBD platform.
• CODATA acknowledged in the publications that will be sent to the patterns and the CODATA Science
• Publicity through social media is as below;
  

Delegates at CODATA 2019 Conference, Friendship Hotel Beijing China, 19th September 2019

Contacts/Collaborations

Conveners: CODATA, CODATA China
Supporter: Minister of Science and Technology (MOST), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), NSFC
Local organizer: Computer Network Information Center, CAS; National S&T Infrastructure Center, MOST

Conference Announcements

2020 is just around the corner. Not only will this mark the start of an exciting new decade, it heralds a time of great change as citizens and their governments manage and adapt to a complex array of current and emerging challenges.

INGSA is proud to be hosting its 4th International Conference in Montréal Canada, to continue to interrogate and inform the critical (and contested) intersections between evidence, policy, and society.

Under the conference theme of Evidence in Context – Expanding the Dialogue, INGSA2020 will convene policymakers, politicians, academics, and science advice practitioners from all over the world.

We are excited to be able to announce our line-up of keynote speakers, to open pre-registration for the conference, and to give the members of the INGSA network their chance to suggest sessions and satellites for the meeting. All this information below!

Introducing our Keynote Speakers

• Her Excellency the Right Honorable Julie Payette
  • The Governor General of Canada
• Her Excellency Aminata Touré
  • President of the Economic, Social and Environmental Council of Senegal, former Prime Minister of Senegal
• His Excellency Cheick Modibo Diarra
  • Chair of the Africa Legal Network and former Prime Minister of Mali
• Prof Naomi Oreskes
  • Professor, History of Science at Harvard University
• Sir Patrick Vallance
  • Chief Scientific Adviser to the Government of the UK
• Dr Soumya Swaminathan
  • Inaugural Chief Scientist of the World Health Organization
• Prof Daya Reddy 
  • President of the International Science Council

Suggest a Session or Satellite – Get Involved

If you’ve got a good idea for an interactive parallel session, or a satellite event that will support the goals of INGSA2020, then we want to hear from you now!

For more info, or to download the application templates, see the Get Involved page.

Pre-Registrations Open Now!

Did you know that INGSA doesn’t charge conference registration fees?
If you would like to attend INGSA2020, fill out the pre-registration form now to receive more information as it is released.

Register for INGSA2020 now!

Conference Website Now Live

The INGSA2020 official conference website is now live and will continue to be updated with information for delegates.

See it now for more information and to register.

Go to INGSA2020 conference website

The PV 2020 Conference welcomes you to its 10th edition, to be held 12th – 14th  May 2020 at CERN, the European Centre for Nuclear Research.

CERN is operating the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and is working on a strategy (as part of the general European Strategy for Particle Physics) that foresees a timeline out until the end of the current century. Some 300PB of data are currently stored in the on-site archive – including data from previous generations of experiments, such as the Large Electron Positron collider (LEP) that took data from 1989 to 2000 – with additional copies at collaborating High Energy Physics institutes around the world.

In contrast to other conferences and workshops on related topics, the PV series has a particular focus on scientific data, often from large scale, multi-national facilities. However, one should not forget that at least a number of the challenges faced are shared with many other disciplines, as is the need for effective collaboration and sharing of ideas and even solutions.

With respect to previous conferences in this series, and whilst maintaining the overall thrust, additional goals for PV2020 include:

• Attracting more scientific communities
• Broadening information exchange, sharing of experiences, tools and even services
• Keeping in step with (or ahead of) funding agencies / policy makers in their push for Long Term Data Preservation and Open Data

As usual, there will be four sessions, this time focussing on the following outline areas:

Session 1: Ensuring long-term data and knowledge preservation (the “P” in PV);

Session 2: Adding value to data and facilitation of data use (the “V” in PV);

Session 3: Short – medium term issues related to policy, technology, guidelines, FAIR / TRUST principles, certification;

Session 4: (Very) long term issues.

A new session (for the PV series) will be a set of “lightning talks” that will have a light-weight review process and for which the call for mini-abstracts will be sent to registered participants after the formal review process of the full abstracts for posters and papers has completed.

Further information can be found here.