LEDC state of play in research data
management: reports, challenges
and perspectives
IFLA – Building Bridges for Research Data
Librarianship: 17 August 2015
Daisy Selematsela (PhD)
[email protected]
Outline
•
•
•
•
•
Historical context
National initiatives
Data management support
Challenges
National intervention - RI
July 2001
• 1st CODATA (Committee on Data for Science &
Technology) workshop – SENEGAL July 2001
• Outcomes– annotated bibliography of Web-based resources
– Working group on Archiving Scientific Data – est.
– birth of CODATA TG on Preservation of and Access to
Scientific and Technical Data in Developing Countries
20 – 21 May 2002
• Workshop on Archiving Scientific & Technical Data, Pretoria
South Africa
• Objectives – scientific data & information management to
advance research
– Understanding of S&T data archiving at South African Data Archive
(SADA) & NRF
– Advance preliminary plans for proposed CODATA TG on the
Preservation and Archiving of S&T Data in Developing Countries
– Committee on Data for Science & Technology (CODATA) Task Group for
Preservation of and Open Access to S&T Data in/for/with Developing
Countries (PASTD) established.
• 70 delegates
• Africa, Asia, Europe, USA
5 - 7 Sept 2005
• Strategies for Permanent Access to Scientific Information in
Southern Africa: Focus on Health & Environmental Information for
Sustainable Development
• Objectives – sustainable development – concern for SADC/Africa
– Review current status for sharing & archiving scientific
information resources – SADC region
– Identify scientific, legal & policy, institutional & economic ,
technical factors relevant to providing access
– Identify follow-up activities that can be taken to improve –
access & preservation
– 100 delegates
– Africa, Asia, Europe, USA
14 – 15 May 2007
• Data Sources for Sustainable Development in SADC – Pretoria,
South Africa
• Objectives:
– Consider CODATA 2005 “Focus on health and environmental
Information for Sustainable Development”;
– Designate SADC officials to support CODATA TG activities;
– Promote mutual enforcement with the converging goals of
ICSU RoA, SADC & NEPAD Secretariats – coordinate actions to
leverage resources;
– Est. CODATA TG work plan for 2007/8
– Database of Data Resources in Africa (launched Maputo)
• http://stardata.nrf.ac.za/html/fastlinkDatap.html
8 August 2014
• International Workshop on Open Data for
Science & Sustainability in Developing
Countries - developed “The NAIROBI Data
Sharing Principles for Developing Countries”
– GEO Plenary in Mexico to finalise data sharing
guidelines that support this 9 principles (Nov
2015)
Progress on collaboration
• CODATA PASTD (Task Group for Preservation of and Open Access to
S&T Data in/for/with Developing Countries) –convened series of
successful international workshops, training
programs on data strategies & policies in
developing countries.
• Collaborative achievements – important parts
of the global research data sharing
infrastructure for science and sustainability.
1st output
Parallel national initiatives
• Network of Data and Information Curation Centre
(NeDICC) est. Oct 2006
• Ministry of Science & Technology commissioned
exploratory study (Aug 2007)
– an exploration of the local & international scene with
regard to Research Data Access
• Policy workshop on Research Data access in
South Africa (27 – 28 Sept 2007)
• 1st African Digital Curation Conference (12 – 14
Feb 2008) – 5 ADCC held to date.
Data management support
• Grant – ICSU (International Council for Science)
(2009)
– World Data Centre for Biodiversity and Human Health in
Africa (WDC-BHH)
– Prototype Completed – 2010
• Grant – ICSU (2012)
– Network Data Centre for Socio-Economic Sciences in Africa
(NDCSEA)
– Project Underway
Progress
• Network Data Centre for Socio-Economic
Sciences in Africa (NDCSEA) workshop (5 African Digital
th
Scholarship and Curation Conference – Durban: South Africa. 29 June 2013 )
• Objectives:
– Data sharing experiences in African countries
– Policy and higher level mandates that needs to be
in place for data management and dissemination
services to be effective
Achievements
• Institute of Geographical Sciences & Natural
Resources Research of Chinese Academy of
Sciences (IGSNRR/CAS) & Jomo Kenyatta (JKUT)
– jointly established the Global Change Research
Data Publishing & Repository (2015)
• National Research Foundation of SA established
the WDC BHH.
• National Geoinformatics Centre (Ch)donated
the Global Land Cover datasets in 30 meters
resolution to the United Nations.
2001 – 2015 Challenges
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Funding and sustainability
Technical feasibility and standards
Governance
Policies
Views on Open Data and Data Sharing
Accessibility to data
African (regional) participation/contribution
National agenda
RI expectations
• In order to achieve this, RI must:
• Have governance systems that serve the interests of all
participants
• Ensure optimal utilisation, no access barriers for those
undertaking meritorious research
• Provide for comprehensive support for their
sustainability, i.e. operation and maintenance.
• Give due regard to the whole-of-life costing
• Make provision for periodic reviews to critically assess
the need for continuation of the RI under consideration
Identified RInfrastructures
Priority criteria for RI
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Alignment with national priorities
Alignment with key & emerging research strengths
Linkages with international activities
Strength & enthusiasm of champion/team
Complexity of anticipated governance
Social and/or economic impact
Size and multi- disciplinarity
Robust ICT and data plan
What does this tell us?
• There is an appetite among the research community for a
national RI
• Long term base line funding & Government support
• Behaviour /culture shift towards sharing, collaboration
and service
• Skills – training and experience necessary (few
researchers have required skills and their career
prospects do not encourage their development)
• Structured process necessary to coordinate RIs that
transverse ministries
• African science bi-laterals through ICSU Regional Office
for Africa
Heading
Heading
Heading
Heading
Heading
Heading
Heading