Databib: A Registry of Data Repositories

Thanks to funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Purdue University Libraries, there is now a tool to help you identify and locate online repositories for research data.

From the announcement:

Over 200 data repositories have been cataloged in Databib, with more being added every week. Users and bibliographers create and curate records that describe data repositories that can be browsed and searched.

• What repositories are appropriate for a researcher to submit his or her data to?
• How do users find appropriate data repositories and discover datasets to meet their needs?
• How can librarians help patrons locate and integrate data into their research or learning?

For more information or to check the listing out for yourself, go to: http://databib.org

Pew Report on Big Data

The Pew Research Center's Internet and American Life Project released a report on "Big Data".  The report is based on a survey of 1,021 "Internet experts and other Internet users".

You can find the report and information about the survey here: http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2012/Future-of-Big-Data.aspx

Lectures from Digital Humanities 2012

The Digital Humanities 2012 conference was held in Hamburg, Germany this week. From the conference website:

Digital Humanities is the annual international conference of the Alliance of Digital Humanities Organizations (ADHO). ADHO is an umbrella organization whose goals are to promote and support digital research and teaching across arts and humanities disciplines, drawing together humanists engaged in digital and computer-assisted research, teaching, creation, dissemination, and beyond, in all areas reflected by its diverse membership.

The conference program is located here: http://www.dh2012.uni-hamburg.de/conference/programme/
It includes links to abstracts and where you see a link for "Lecture2Go" there are recorded presentations you can watch.  A few titles that caught my eye include:

"The potential of using crowd-sourced data to re-explore the demography of Victorian Britain"

http://lecture2go.uni-hamburg.de/konferenzen/-/k/13917
"Social Network Analysis and Visualization in The Papers of Thomas Jefferson"

http://lecture2go.uni-hamburg.de/konferenzen/-/k/13945
and "Uncertain Date, Uncertain Place: Interpreting the History of Jewish Communities in the Byzantine Empire using GIS"
http://lecture2go.uni-hamburg.de/konferenzen/-/k/13962

Those were just a few.

Presentations from Research Data Access & Preservation Summit

Thanks to Tina Jayroe from U of Wisc-Milwaukee, the first batch of video presentations from the 2012 Research Data Access & Preservation Summit (RDAP) are now available on YouTube.  The conference website can give you more information about the presentations listed below: http://rdap12.posterous.com/

Bill Anderson, University of Texas, Austin [RDAP Welcome & Introductions]:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=YsG6SzLKnks&feature=relmfu

Data Management Plans and Policies panel, moderated by Reagan Moore
Suzanne Allard, DataOne:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=vt5olF55Fho&feature=relmfu
Dave Fellinger, Data Direct Networks:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=6QY06Z84C30
Carol Beaton Meyer, Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=f8P3uH_et40&feature=relmfu
Reagen Moore, DataNet Federation Consortium:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=jBPzpBSmHq0
Aletia Morgan, Rutgers University Community Repository:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=37W1V5l4Zro
Ryan Stearns, Texas Digital Libraries:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=2efdwMKeQoU
Peter Wittenburg, European Data Infrastructure (EUDAT):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=yioXGUDgT3Y

Data Citation panel, moderated by Joe Hourcle
Joe Hourcle, Solar Data Analysis Center, NASA:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=AS6Lf-9VEiw
Paul Uhlir, National Academy of Sciences (part 1)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=bhl9gLcVPv0
Paul Uhlir, National Academy of Sciences (part 2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=6i0lz_2Vodc

More videos to be posted as time permits.

*UPDATE 7/19/12* More videos posted:

Curation Service Models panel, moderated by Matt Myernick
David Minor, University of California, San Diego:
http://youtu.be/NQ-S4iR7n-c
Barbara Pralle, John Hopkins University:
http://youtu.be/w_eCPJHjQfA
Michael Witt, Purdue University
http://youtu.be/0PPUaBwZk-I

SIG-DL Sustainability panel, moderated by Gail Steinhart & Susan Wells Parham
Robert McDonald, Indiana University Libraries:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laiqwPJB1JE
Oya Rieger, Cornell University Library, arXiv:
http://youtu.be/sdbs3kCor_w
Peggy Schaeffer, Dryad Digital Repository:
http://youtu.be/e4XBil1Lr8c

Training Data Management Practitioners Panel, moderated by Bill Anderson
Kirk Borne, George Mason University:
http://youtu.be/Xqo1oF5tMIM
Peter Fox, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute:
http://youtu.be/UQnG7EiaN_U
Jian Qin, Syracuse University:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaZUEfsq-xs


Reagan Moore [RDAP Summary and Wrap-up]:
http://youtu.be/lIvX17wbNaA

New Geoscience Data Journal

The Royal Meteorological Society has partnered with Wiley to publish an open access journal which "will publish short, earth science data papers cross-linked to datasets that have been deposited in approved data centres and awarded DOIs."

From the announcement:

Geoscience Data Journal is online-only and will publish short data papers (articles describing a dataset, giving details including collection, processing, software and file formats) covering topics ranging from weather and climate, to oceanography, atmospheric chemistry and geology. All published data papers will be linked to datasets, which provide details of the collection, processing and file formatting of data.

“Issues around provenance, curation, recognition and discovery of data have always been important, but never as much as over recent years,” said Professor Paul Hardaker, Chief Executive of the Royal Meteorological Society. “Being able to publish data in a peer-reviewed journal not only helps to address many of these challenges, but for the first time will help to recognise the contribution that data and those scientists that work with data make to the wider community.” 

The journal is now accepting papers.  You can find out more information here: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.
com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)2049-6060

Latest Readings Related to Data

Several readings made available recently related to data:

UK Cabinet Office published an Open Data White Paper: http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/open-data-white-paper-unleashing-potential
"sets out how we’re putting data and transparency at the heart of government and public services."

UK Information Commissioner released a "consultation on the draft Anonymisation code of practice"
http://www.ico.gov.uk/about_us/consultations/our_consultations.aspx
"The code of practice will provide guidance on how to assess the risks of identification and how information can be successfully anonymised."

The Royal Society released a report "Science as an Open Enterprise"

http://royalsociety.org/policy/projects/science-public-enterprise/report/

"highlights the need to grapple with the huge deluge of data created by modern technologies in order to preserve the principle of openness and to exploit data in ways that have the potential to create a second open science revolution."