2012 Proposed Bylaw Changes

From Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP)
Revision as of 01:42, November 29, 2011 by Rob Raskin (Raskin) (talk | contribs)

Discuss and vote on the following proposed Bylaw changes at the Winter 2012 ESIP Meeting:


1. Change Type 3 Member Definition

Category 3 ESIPs shall be engaged principally in the development and provision of Earth science applications.development, use or dissemination of Earth science information and applications for the purpose of commercial use, decision support, outreach, advocacy, or education.

Comments: This change has been amended based upon comments received at last year’s Winter Meeting.
Public Comments:


2. Define replacement criteria for binding resolutions

Add II.2.7: Any resolution imposing a binding requirement on any ESIP shall require a two-thirds approval vote for passage.

Comments: This change replaces the original wording in which unanimous consent was required for resolutions that imposed requirements on its members.
Public Comments:


3. Add new Data Science and Stewardship Committee

Add VI.4.1: The ESIP Federation shall include a Standing Committee for Data Science and Stewardship. Its roles are: a) To develop, evolve, foster, and adopt best practices and standards that ensure continued and reliable information content, quality, and usability of Earth system science data for as long as they are deemed to be of value. b) To facilitate the long-term preservation and stewardship of Earth system science data. c) To facilitate reference to and access to Earth system science data. 


Comments: This change effectively elevates the role of the Preservation and Stewardship Cluster to recognize its importance. The change also expands its scope to encompass data quality, metadata, and other data-specific topics. This Committee provides an analog to the Information Technology Committee for data-related issues. Committees can receive funding and make formal recommendations.
Public Comments:




<a name="membership">Discuss and refine the following proposal at the Winter Meeting, but vote at a later date. This topic will be further discussed at a Breakfast session at the Meeting:

4. Membership Structure Changes

ESIP is considering establishing multiple Membership Tiers:

Sustaining (supporting) member
Full (voting) Organizational member
Associate (non-voting) member.

Associate members can fully participate in all Federation activities, with the exception of voting. Associate memberships automatically expire after five consecutive years, at which time the ESIP can reapply for membership. The criteria for achieving Full status is to pay for two Meeting attendances in the previous year (or pay the difference as membership dues). The criteria for achieving Sustaining status will be determined by the Executive Committee; however, there might be more than one Sustaining level. Each ESIP would have a Type and a Membership Tier; for example, NASA would be a Type 4 Sustaining member.

Options:

Option A. Change Type 4 Definition Redefine Type 4 as any Umbrella/Overarching Organization, not just supporters. Whether or not a Type 4 is a supporting member is determined by its membership tier, rather than its ESIP Type. This category could accommodate a new range of members, such as AGU/ESSI and other consortiums. Some existing Type 1-3 members might choose to switch to Type 4. This change replaces our current Active/Inactive status.

Option B. Change Type 5 Definition Redefine Type 5 as any Data User. Individuals (including students and retirees) could join under this designation. This new Type would be limited to Associate (or possibly Sustaining) status.

Public Comments: