Data Stewardship Alliance
Conveners
- David Fulker, UCAR/Emeritus & OPeNDAP Board
- Ted Habermann, NOAA/NESDIS/NGDC
- Mohan Ramamurthy, UCAR/Unidata
Abstract
In this session we engage participants in discussing the merits and nature of a potential data-stewardship alliance—as yet only in its conceptual stage—premised on the basis of broad, cross-agency needs for support services and tools that foster interoperability and address other data-creation and data-provision problems.
A tentative mission for the Alliance is: Supporting the community in creating, publishing and stewarding meaningful earth & space data for world-wide, cross-disciplinary discovery, use and citation.
We set the stage by outlining the nature of the problem and a possible solution, capitalizing on the conveners’ experiences with the Unidata Program as an example of how common tools and services can foster a sense of community and support the common good. We put forth a number of “straw-man” characteristics for the proposed alliance, intending that they stimulate debate, discussion and/or eventual agreement on the value and timeliness of the concept.
Looking for a Great Acronym
Every great idea needs a great acronym.
Our current idea is SADIS: Stewardship Alliance for Data-Intensive Science
We clearly need some improvement. Please let one of the conveners know if you have an idea - or add it here!
Notes from the Session
- Distinctions between ESIP and the Alliance
- relies less on volunteering and more on staffing
- The problem
- despite significant agreement on standards, data consistency remains elusive
- Stewardship capabilities are unnecessarily varied and reflect too few economies of scale
- Agencies and others face growing pressures
- The opportunity
- An alliance focused on stewardship aiding services and tools could reduce the problem
- Benefits could include training and support, advancement or capabilities, and more interagency cooperation
- Now is the time in the technology cycle to address the problem
- Other needs
- Improving services that foster interoperability
- training for data providers
- Widely accepted norms and better methodologies for citation
- More meaningful methods of data-object exchange
- Forming an alliance can address common needs and problems
- There is power in forming a community of practice - people who use the same terminology and tools
- Seeking feedback
- Affirming the merits of cooperation, community-centric activities
- Revenue model
- Core activities that focus on the common good, balanced by activities for specific individuals
- Motivations for joining "StewarDIS"
- Access to support services that aid in data creation and stewardship
- Training, software, etc.
- Membership in a community of practice where these same priorities are valued
- Faster advancement of the stewardship capabilities
- Setting the stage for evaluation
- Situation or environment
- Inputs, outputs and activities
- Outcomes
- Assumptions
