5th adc meeting

12. Data Sharing Principles

B. Chen reported on task DA-06-01, Data Sharing Principles. In 2006 CODATA agreed to take the lead in developing data principles for GEO. In 2007 CODATA developed an initial White Paper and then participated in the November Plenary and Ministerial Summit. In 2008 the white paper was split into Draft Implementation Guidelines and a supporting white paper proceeded by a series of reviews, comments and updates.

Current comments and issues include:

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  Need to emphasize the voluntary nature of GEO and for non-binding approaches to increase participation and compliance
  
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  Concerns about consistency between existing practices and the proposed guidelines, e.g., regarding reuse and redissemination
  
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  Need for evolution of guidelines and approaches based on experience and new developments
  
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  Clarification of role of national focal points
  
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  Importance of real-time data access in some situations
  
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  Suggestions for new guideline text
  

Tentative milestones include:

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  Distribute updated guidelines to ADC, UIC, CBC & STC, mid September
  
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  Initiate discussions on data sharing issues with GEO initiatives such as GEONetcast, Global DEM, CBERS data distribution, GEO BON, and GAM and with GCI and IOC
  
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  Data Sharing presentation & discussion at CODATA conference in Kiev in October
  
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  Report and side event at GEO-V in Bucharest
  
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  Possible merging of tasks DA-06-01 and DA-06-02 (data quality) into DA-09-01
  
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  Possible session at GSDI-11 in Rotterdam, June 2009
  
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  Further discussion at GEO-VI
  
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  Possible adoption at GEO Ministerial in 2010
  

Question: In the case of “research” does this mean academics only? B. Chen: the plan doesn’t define exactly what research is. It should be defined by the activity, not the URL address.

There was a question on the role of World Data Centers. B. Chen answered that world data centers might be reorganizing so their future role would not be clear in the meantime.
There was a comment that, regarding the role of the national coordinator, for example it could not be applied in Europe because there could not be a panEuropean representative. B. Chen commented that in the case of someone using European data, they would worry about whether they would have to go to 20 different countries to get permission to publish from each country. There should be one place to go to find out who to contact. A. Anoni also commented the same problem as applied to Europe.