Learning from past infrastructure to embrace friction and create the Research Data Alliance

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Learning from past infrastructure to embrace friction and create the Research Data Alliance

Mark A. ParsonsSecretary General

American Geophysical UnionSan Francisco, CA16 December 2014

Friction is inevitable and necessary in collaboration

“A wheel turns because of its

encounter with the surface of the road; spinning in the air it

goes nowhere.” cover notes for

Friction—An Ethnography of Global Connection

by Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing

Marcel DuChamp’s Bicycle Wheel photo © nuzz—www.flickr.com/photos/nuzz/

Friction—An ethnography of global connection

“Actual existing universalisms are hybrid, transient, and involved in

constant reformulation through dialogue.”

They work out through friction.

Coalition Politics“There is no reason to think collaborators have common goals.”

Dynamics of Infrastructure Edwards, et al. 2007 Understanding Infrastructure: Dynamics, Tensions, and Design.

• Infrastructures become “ubiquitous, accessible, reliable, and transparent” as they mature.

• Systems Networks Inter-networks

• “system-building, characterized by the deliberate and successful design of technology-based services.”

• “technology transfer across domains and locations results in variations on the original design, as well as the emergence of competing systems.”

• Finally, “a process of consolidation characterized by gateways that allow dissimilar systems to be linked into networks.”

Research Data Alliance

Vision Researchers and innovators openly share data across technologies, disciplines, and countries to address the grand challenges of society.

Mission RDA builds the social and technical bridges that enable open sharing of data.

The Evolution of Data Citation—Then

• Back in the day, data were embedded in the literature as tables, maps, monographs, etc.—and we cited accordingly.

• Then digital data becomes the norm. It’s messier and we forget how to routinely cite.

• Initial efforts to define digital data citation in the late 90s - early 00s • Right idea, little traction (or friction) • Partially conflated with the citing URLs issue

• A blossoming in the mid-late 00s. • Multiple disciplines start developing approaches and guidelines • DOI a big driver, especially for publishers and DataCite, but other identifiers

used too (Handles, LSIDs, UNFs, ARKs and good ol’ URI/Ls) • A somewhat competitive atmosphere—more friction.

• Now a consensus phase • Out of Cite, Out of Mind: The Current State of Practice, Policy, and

Technology for the Citation of Data. 2013. http://dx.doi.org/10.2481/dsj.OSOM13-043

• Global Joint Declaration of Data Citation Principles. 2014.http://www.force11.org/datacitation

The Evolution of Data Citation—Now

• Implementation phase just begun • ESIP Guidelines adopted by a variety of NASA and NOAA data centers, AGU

and GEOSS. • AGU Publishing Committee has author guidelines based on ESIP. • Data centers are building relationships with publishers. • Several data centers partnering with publishers, e.g. Elsevier’s “article of the

future”. • Joint implementation team for the Principles

• It happens locally and requires culture change so debates and friction will continue.

The Evolution of Data Citation—Next

A final point from Tsing

•“Unity and diversity cover each other up.” Need to remember the local.

•This means we must act “glocally” to succeed.

Glocalization “means the simultaneity—the co-presence—of both universalizing and and

particularizing tendencies.” Roland Robertson

Friction is also “Where Good Ideas Come From”

•The Adjacent Possible—the importance of local

•Often not “Eureka!” but rather a slow hunch fading in to view over time.

•Hunches need to collide with other hunches so create that environment. Don’t protect IP share it. Connecting vs. protecting

•Sharing of failures as well. •Create spaces for that to happen—

virtual and real coffee shops • “Chance favors the connected mind.”

What does this mean for RDA?

1. RDA focusses on developing “gateways”

2. RDA doesn’t do “architecture,” but it does provide a level of unity.

Deliverables that make data work

“Create - Adopt - Use”

• Adopted code, policy, specifications, standards, or practices that enable data sharing

• “Harvestable” efforts for which 12-18 months of work can eliminate a roadblock

• Efforts that have substantive applicability to groups within the data community but may not apply to all

• Efforts that can start today

RDA Principles OpennessConsensus

BalanceHarmonization

Community Driven Non-profit

RDA Working Groups

1. Brokering Governance

2. Data Citation WG

3. Data Description Registry Interoperability

4. Data Foundation and Terminology WG

5. Data Type Registries WG

6. Metadata Standards Directory Working Group

7. PID Information Types WG

8. Practical Policy WG

9. RDA/CODATA Summer Schools in Data Science and Cloud Computing in the Developing World*

10.RDA/WDS Publishing Data Bibliometrics WG

11.RDA/WDS Publishing Data Services WG

12.RDA/WDS Publishing Data Workflows WG

13.Repository Audit and Certification DSA–WDS Partnership WG

14.Standardisation of Data Categories and Codes WG

15.The BioSharing Registry: connecting data policies, standards & databases in life sciences*

16.Wheat Data Interoperability WG

* in review

• A basic vocabulary of foundational terminology and query tool to make sure we know what we’re talking about.

• A data type model and registry (“MIME-types” for data) to help tools interpret, display, and process data.

• A persistent identifier type registry to help search engines understand what they are pointing to and retrieving.

• Coming soon:

• A basic set of machine actionable rules to enhance trust

• A metadata standards directory so we can describe similar things consistently

• A dynamic-data citation methodology so we can reference precise subsets of changing data.

• Semantically linked terms describing wheat data so we can share harvest and related information around the world

• A unified repository certification scheme to reduce confusion and improve trust.

Initial Products—adopt one today!

What does this mean for RDA?

1. RDA focusses on developing “gateways”

2. RDA doesn’t do “architecture,” but it does provide a level of unity.

3. RDA plays both globally and locally—Think “glocal”.

Distribution of 2,538 Individual RDA Members in 92 Countries 3 December 2014

Other6%Private

13%

Government17% Academia

64%

Map courtesy traveltip.org

Europe51%

North America36%

Austral-pacific 5%

Africa 3%

SouthAmerica 1%

Asia 5%

Regional RDAs

• Australian National Data Service, RDA/United States, RDA/Europe,

• Implement RDA deliverables locally and enhance adoption.

• Ensure regional or national issues are addressed globally.

• Support plenaries and support attendance at plenaries.

What does this mean for RDA?

1. RDA focusses on developing “gateways”

2. RDA doesn’t do “architecture,” but it does provide a level of unity.

3. RDA plays both globally and locally—Think glocal.

4. RDA fosters relationships, interfaces, and connections.

5. RDA provides a “neutral place” to identify and work through friction.

RDA Interest Groups

1. Active Data Management Plans IG*2. Agricultural Data Interoperability IG3. Big Data Analytics IG4. Biodiversity Data Integration IG5. Brokering IG6. Community Capability Model IG7. Data Fabric IG8. Data for Development9. Data in Context IG10.Development of cloud computing capacity and

education in developing world research11.Digital Practices in History and Ethnography IG12.Domain Repositories Interest Group13.Education and Training on handling of research

data14.ELIXIR Bridging Force IG15.Engagement IG16.Federated Identity Management17.Geospatial IG*18.Libraries for Research Data*19.Long tail of research data IG

20.Marine Data Harmonization IG21.Metabolomics22.Metadata IG23.PID Interest Group24.Preservation e-Infrastructure IG25.Quality of Urban Life IG26.RDA/CODATA Legal Interoperability IG27.RDA/CODATA Materials Data, Infrastructure &

Interoperability IG28.RDA/WDS Certification of Digital Repositories IG29.RDA/WDS Publishing Data Cost Recovery for

Data Centres30.RDA/WDS Publishing Data IG31.Reproducibility IG*32.Research data needs of the Photon and Neutron

Science community33.Research Data Provenance34.Service Management IG35.Structural Biology IG36.Toxicogenomics Interoperability IG

* in review

Plenary 5 San Diego, California9 - 11 March 2015

©2013 Pecoff Studios Inc

Get involved!

• Join RDA as an individual member supporting our principles at http://rd-alliance.org

• Join as an Organisational Member (nominal fee) or an Organisational Affiliate (jointly sponsored efforts).

• Initiate or join an Interest Group

• Propose or join a Working Group

• Attend the RDA Plenaries

Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.

—Henry Ford

Info: [email protected]

@resdatall