research data ecology
DESCRIPTION
Keynote delivered at Nordbib 2012, June 12, 2012. Uses an ecological perspective to analyse research data publishingTRANSCRIPT
10/04/2023 1
Conceptualising Collaboration and Competition in the Changing Ecology of Research Data
Dr Andrew TreloarDirector of Technology
Australian National Data Service
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Why me?
• Information management• Scholarly communication• Institutional repositories• Research data management• ‘Adjunct librarian’• andrew.treloar.net/research
ANDS enables transformation of:Data that are:
UnmanagedDisconnectedInvisibleSingle use
To Structured Collections that are:ManagedConnectedFindableReusable
so that Australian researchers can easily publish, discover, access and use research data.
ands.org.au10/04/2023 3
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Clockwork
CC-BY http://www.flickr.com/photos/arenamontanus/3553313505/
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Jungle
CC-BY http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/47/Jungle.jpg/1280px-Jungle.jpg
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Why an ecological approach?
• Information ecology:o peopleo practiceso valueso technologies
• Way of thinking about the space that offers richer insights
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Ecology elements
• Systems that evolve over time• Environmental factors (constraints,
forcing)• Selection pressures• Biodiversity• Species and individuals• Niches for colonisation/exploitation• Resources• Interactions• Species co-evolution/co-adaptation
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Research data ecology elements
• Researchers• Institutions• Research funders• Data centres (institutional, disciplinary,
national, international)• Disciplines• Research facilities• Libraries• Publishers
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Predator-Prey
CC-BY: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cskk/3974104408/
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Competitor
CC-BY http://www.flickr.com/photos/bata/2463176219CC-BY: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pvk/58685520/
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Parasitism
CC-BY http://www.flickr.com/photos/tony_rodd/2759008143/
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Symbiosis
CC-BY http://www.flickr.com/photos/rling/438038729/
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Co-evolution isn’t necessarily good
• Systems co-evolve• But can also get stuck in a new
stable (not necessarily more desirable) state
• Example: p-journals ➠ e-journalso form and access arrangements largely
unchanged
• #openaccess is now gaining momentum
• But form changing more slowly
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New niches allow for new possibilities
• Internet was new niche for journals
CC-BY http://www.flickr.com/photos/stone-imaginings/3504148642/
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Research data can be new niche for librarians
• New roles within institutions• New way to engage with wider range
of clients• New application of existing skills• New partnerships with Research
Office, IT Services, e-Research folks
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Selection pressures in research data driving change
• Increasingo volumeo varietyo velocity
• Increasing importance of data relative to publications
• Mixed messages from journal publishers
• Outcomes currently unclear
} (Gartner, 2001)
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Role of Publishers
• Is the relationship between the publishers of research and the producers of research symbiotic or parasitic?
• And how will rise of data-intensive research change this?o Protein Data Banko Human Genome Projecto International Virtual Observatory
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Collaboration or competition?
• Symbiotic relationships are often better for both parties than either competition or predator/prey
CC-BY http://www.flickr.com/photos/peternijenhuis/2979063336/
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Conclusions
• Ecology provides a richer way of thinking about scholarly communication than mechanics
• Research data is a new niche for (some) librarianso but it’s a niche undergoing great change
• Look for symbiotic relationships• Critically examine the roles of other
players in the ecosystem
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Further reading
• B. A. Nardi, & V. L. O’Day, “Information ecologies: using technology with heart. Chapter Four: Information ecologies”, First Monday Vol 4 No 5 May 3, 1999. http://www.firstmonday.org/issues/issue4_5/nardi_chapter4.html
• R. J. Robertson, M. Mahey, J. Allinson, An ecological approach to repository and service interactions, v. 1.5 http://ie-repository.jisc.ac.uk/272/1/Introductoryecologyreport.pdf
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Questions?
• @atreloar
• andrew.treloar.net
• http://www.slideshare.net/atreloar/research-data-ecology