Data Stewardship Alliance

Conveners

1. David Fulker, UCAR/Emeritus & OPeNDAP Board
2. Ted Habermann, NOAA/NESDIS/NGDC
3. 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