We’re coming to the end of the first week of Virtual SciDataCon 2021. There have been some wonderful sessions and we hope you have enjoyed it as much as we have.
On Day Five, there are two themes. We have another of the very strong theme of data for this SDGs, on making Open Data work for agriculture, and we have two sessions from CODATA Task Groups looking at data skills and data stewardship. The first is from the long running PASTD Task Group reviewing their activities and looking at new directions. The second is an interactive workshop or Do-A-Thon, looking at data on the brink: it should be very engaging and fun!
The sessions are listed below to make it easier to register if you have not done so already.
Data for the SDGs
Making Open Data Work for Small Scale Farmers: A Case for Developing Countries, Friday 22 October, 11:00-12:30 UTC: REGISTER
Developing countries need to mainstream open data for smart and sustainable development in various fields. Mainstreaming open data in agriculture sector can be achieved through linking agricultural research databases, fostering data sharing, management and interoperability in agricultural research projects/programmes. Data sharing and innovation has the potential to promote learning, improve the sustainability and create impact on household nutrition and food security. The session will feature a set of short ignition talks on the theme: How can research organizations and academia make agricultural research open data work for farmers in developing countries? Case studies include the following: 1) the Pest Risk Information Service (PRISE) which uses cutting-edge geospatial infrastructure and state-of-the-art algorithms to deliver solutions to reduce crop losses caused by pests across six sub-Saharan African countries; 2) The Kenya Agricultural observatory platform (KAOP) which gives agricultural institutions access to high resolution geospatial agro-meteorological data to help policy makers and farmers optimize their decision making.
Data Skills and Data Stewardship
CODATA PASTD Task Group, Friday 22 October, 07:00-08:30 UTC: REGI
The PASTD TG has been convening policy and management workshops on Scientific Data Sharing and integrated applications for interdisciplinary communities as well as training workshops for young scientists and early-career researcher throughout the Less Economically Developed Countries (LEDs) for the past 19 years. For developing countries, the technical methodology on research data sharing and best practices are of similar importance as data policies and institutional guidelines. Data publishing and full-open-free sharing in developing countries are crucial for innovative development and reaching SDGs. The theme of the session addressing in scope of “Open Data, Innovation, Industry and Development”, focuses on open data publishing and capacity building in developing countries, and best practices for improving and support sustainable development (SDGs). As the expected result of the session is the review of recent work of CODATA-PASTD and practical guidance for planned activities in the following years.
Data on the Brink: An Unconference / Do-A-Thon, Friday 22 October, 13:00-17:30 UTC: REGISTER FOR THIS SESSION
In 1966, NASA’s Lunar Orbiter 1 captured breathtaking high-resolution imagery of our planet. Unfortunately, these data were almost lost due to non-existent curatorial practices. When they were accidentally discovered and recovered 42 years later, the general public was finally able to view these images due to the enthusiastic efforts of a small group of undaunted experts who virtually willed these data back into usable existence. Small groups of undaunted experts get things done. Today, there are countless underutilized datasets, and the level of Data Access and Reusability varies widely by region, scientific discipline, and medium.
We propose CODATA’s first Unconference / Do-A-thon at SciDataCon 2021. Unconferences are dynamically configured meetings, planned and run by attendees on the day of the event. Do-A-Thons are are specifically focused workshops that have tangible, impactful goals that exploit the skills of a variety of experts. Our aim is simple: After 10-15 minutes of case-study lightning talks at the beginning of the session, we will form small groups to improve the access to and awareness of a small but diverse collection of scientific data. In realtime.
Virtual SciDataCon 2021 is organised by CODATA and the World Data System, the two data organisations of the International Science Council – PROGRAMME AT A GLANCE – FULL PROGRAMME – please note that registration is free, but participants must register for each session they wish to attend.