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The Research Data Alliance: Making Data Work

Mark A. Parsons and Francine BermanRensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Research Data Access and Preservation Summit 13Baltimore, MD4 April 2013

Fran Berman

Digital Data has hit the “Tipping Point” as a Global Priority

"Data Deluge," Brett Ryder, The Economist, Feb. 2010

Diverse snow crystal photos by Kenneth G. Libbrecht snowcrystals.com

All of society’s grand challenges require diverse (often large) data to to be shared and integrated across cultures, scales, and technologies.

Research Data Alliance

VisionResearchers around the world sharing and using research data without barriers.

Purposeto accelerate international

data-driven innovation and discovery by facilitating research data

sharing and exchange,use and re-use, standards harmonization, and discoverability.

through the development and adoption of infrastructure, policy, practice, standards, and other deliverables.

Principles

• Openness

• Consensus

• Balance

• Harmonization

• Community Driven

• Non-profit

Deliverables that make data work

• Adopted code, policy, infrastructure, standards, or best practices that enable data to be shared and exchanged

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

• Efforts that have substantive applicability to “chunks” of the data community, but may not apply to everyone

• Efforts for which working scientists and researchers can start today while more long-term or far-reaching solutions are appropriately discussed in other venues

Building Bridges

• Bridges to the future• data preservation

• Bridges to research partners

• Bridges across disciplines

• Bridges across regions

• Bridges to integration• to solve new problems

• Bridges across communities

Juan  Bicarregui

We need to start thinking about software in a way more like how we think about building bridges, dams, and sewers

– Dan Bricklin, Software That Lasts 200 Years

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

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

• Staged  evolu@on–“system-­‐building,  characterized  by  the  deliberate  and  successful  design  of  technology-­‐based  services.”  

–“technology  transfer  across  domains  and  loca@ons  results  in  varia@ons  on  the  original  design,  as  well  as  the  emergence  of  compe@ng  systems.”

–Finally,  “a  process  of  consolida@on  characterized  by  gateways  that  allow  dissimilar  systems  to  be  linked  into  networks.”  

Ecology of Infrastructure Figure from F. Millerand based on S. L. Star & K. Ruhleder (1996)

When is infrastructure?

When is infrastructure?

Who is infrastructure?

Fran Berman

Proposal for organizational Framework

RDA  Strategy  and  Leadership:    CouncilResponsible  for  overarching  mission,  vision,  sustainability  of  RDA

Technical  Leadership:Technical  Advisory  

Board    (TAB)

Responsible  for  Technical  Roadmap

Administra@ve  Leadership:Secretariat

Responsible  for  AdministraCon  and  OperaCons

Organiza@onal  Partners:    Organisa:onal  Advisory  

Group  (OAG)

Responsible  for  Process  and  Strategy  Reference  Document

Government  Group  (Science  Agency  Colloquium)  Appropriate  InternaConal  R&D  Agency  Support

RDA  Mem

bership

Community  Impact:    Working  GroupsResponsible  for  impacHul,  outcome-­‐oriented  efforts

Positive deviance says that if you want to create change, you must scale it down to the lowest level of granularity and look for people within the social system who are already manifesting the desired

future state. Take only the arrows that are already pointing toward the way you want to go, and ignore the others. Identify and

differentiate those people who are headed in the right direction. Give them visibility and resources. Bring them together. Aggregate them.

Barbara Waugh

Leadership Model: Positive Deviance

Slide courtesy Ted Habermann, NOAA

Fran Berman

RDA Working Groups Create Enabling Infrastructure

Data  Use,  Sharing  and  Exchange

Founda@ons

Community  deployment  of  adopted  /  implemented  infrastructure,  tools,  policy,  prac@ce,  standards  

facilita@ng  data  sharing  and  exchange

RD

A W

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D

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RD

A W

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roup

D

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Working Groups• PID Information Types• Data Type Registries• Data Foundation and Terminology

(pending)• Practical Policy (pending)

Interest Groups:• Legal Interoperability

(Joint w/ CODATA)• The Engagement Group

• UPC Code for Data• Metadata Publishing Data• Defining Urban Data Exchange for

Science The Engagement Group• Marine Data Harmonization• Repository Audit and Certification• Preservation e-Infrastructure• Contextual Metadata• Community Capability Model• Big Data Analytics

Working and Interest Groups

Growing the Organization• Initial Council and Secretariat

forming• Task forces to address technical

issues and organizational members and affiliates

• Sponsorship form US, EC, and Australia

Current Status

Growing the Community• ~300 Members• 15 Interest and Working Groups

established with Website, Forums, Mailing Lists etc.

• Multiple workshops leading to Launch and first Plenary 18-19 March• 31 countries, 5 continents (no

S. America)• >200 participants• >6,500 tweets on #rdalaunch

Fran Berman

“T=0” - 18 March 2013: We are here!

Be involved:– Help RDA live up to its aspirations:

• focused effort,

• tangible progress,

• maximum impact

– Work with colleagues to create Working Groups that will make a difference to the research community

– Get involved in RDA component groups

– Register and participate at rd-alliance.org

Launch from Göteborg!

Fran Berman

Fran Berman29

Next Plenary:16-18 September 2013National Academy of SciencesWashington DC

Some of the Players

• Initial Council:– John Wood, EU– Ross Wilkinson, AU– Fran Berman, US

• Task Groups- Technical Advisory

Board- Organizational members

and affiliates- Outreach and Comm.- Plenary 2

• Secretariat:– Herman Stehouwers, EU– Stefanie Kethers, AU– Mark Parsons, US

• Steering Group- Fran Berman, US- Juan Bicarregui, UK - Leif Laaksonen, EU- Beth Plale, US- Andrew Treloar, AU- Ross Wilkinson, AU- Peter Wittenburg, EU- John Wood, EU

• Sponsors– NSF, in-kind support from

NIST– Australian National Data

Service – European Commission

What can RDA do for RDAP and ASIS&T?Questions and comments to:enquiries@rd-alliance.org