SERENATE “End-user” workshop@ IBM - Montpellier, 17 – 19 January 2003

    

Research and Educational Networks across Europe: End-user views and perspectives for the Social Sciences

 Ekkehard Mochmann

  

German Social Science Infrastructure Services GESIS – ZA at the University of Cologne

 mochmann@gesis.org

    

Three perspectives

• Research

• Education

• Infrastructure

Social Science Research

Based on analysis of small to complex data bases:

e.g. cross section/ panel/ European/global surveys/

Increasing are:

statistical microdata, text, cartography ... ...images

Currently rarely serious deficits in network capacities to access and analyse data

Education / Training in Social Science Research

• Data Based teaching in university seminars and

international summer schools

• Customized data is set up for training purposes

> Starting: - Virtual training seminars

- Teacherline for schools

Bottlenecks when heavy demand on dedicated

servers

Infrastructure for Socio-Economic Research

Stock-taking and recommendations:

• NESSIE project: network for socio-economic

infrastructure in Europe (CEPS,ECASS,NSD,ZA)

• Commission for Improving Informational Infra-

structure between Statistics and Research (KVI)

• Comité de Concertation pour les Données en

sciences humaines et sociales (France)

Dynamic extension towards eastern Europe (EDAN)

CESSDA - IFDO

Trends

• Improving and integrating the evidence base

• Facilitating access for research and education

• Standards for data definition (DDI / MetaDater)

• Opening multilingual access (Madiera)

• Virtual libraries

• Data – literature – event – knowledge integration

> Meaningful context and interpretation knowledge

Visions

• ComNet Scenario:

Competence centers and researcher networks also in

interactive video conferences and moderated groups

• Collaborative working in virtual data observatories

• pro- active and validated data cumulation

• New tools for access to and analysis of linked

ressources from the socio – economic data base