Ownership and access to data deposited to a public-good

archive:- Whose data is it anyway!

Larry Burrows

Landcare Research New Zealand Ltd

Acknowledgements

The NVS team• Susan Wiser• Nick Spencer• Jerry Cooper• Michelle Breach• Peter Bellingham

Funding support• NZ Foundation for Research

Science & Technology• NZ Department of Conservation

Context

• Advances in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)– Hardware, software, languages, connections

• Repositories, databases, databanks, archives – National and International initiatives

• Open-access initiatives– Free Journals, access to published information

• Interoperability – (e.g. GBIF – Edwards etal 2000, Science)

• Bioinformatics– (Bisby 2000, Science)

• Increasing global data flow

• Widespread agreement on the needs and benefits resulting from sharing scientific information -

• Benefits:– New uses– New datasets– Multi-disciplinary studies– Cost-effective– Reduced time/effort– Added value/re-use of

data

• But who benefits!!– Burdensome– Time consuming– Unrewarding– Distracting– Competition– Fear of being scooped– Undercuts

funding/facilities

• ‘Data sharing is not only a technical issue, but a complex social process’ (P. Wouters, 2002)

• ‘Sharing data does not come as naturally to scientists as the science ethos assumes.’ (P. Schröder, 2003)

Balancing the needs of users and providers!

Outline1. Who legally owns data?

a. Formal rights

2. Who thinks they own data (data providers)?

a. Their expectations

3. Why is it important to recognise those expectations?

a. Metadata

b. Data quality/standards

c. Fairness

d. Trust

4. Data exchange principles

5. Summary

Data-Owners and data-Providersare not necessarily

the same

Data-Ownersare specified

by law!

Data-Providers deliver the servicesthat make it useful!

Official Information, Contract Law, Copyright Law,

Digital Data Law, Intellectual Property Law

1970s 1980s 1990s

Lands & SurveyDepartment

(Govt Department)

Landcorp(SOE)

Land Information(SOE)

DTZ NZ Ltd(Private company)

Land Information(SOE)

Conservation Dept(Govt Department)

Data ownership can change!

Typical data Owners:• Government Departments, Research

Organisations, Land Management Orgs..– (NZ Dept of Conservation, Ministry for the

Environment, Forestry Depts, Institutes…)

Owners Rights:– (reproduce, transfer, sell, distribute,..)

• Owners need to agree to data being deposited to a public repository!

Who thinks they own data?

• ‘Data Providers’

– Collectors/researchers/data creators– Principal Investigators/team members– Curators– Analysts– Users

What are some expectations of data providers?

E.g.:

• To control access?

• To archive, or Not to archive?

• To ask who are the Users?

• What is the data being used for?

• Is there potential for collaboration/recognition?

• Do Users understand the data?

Why recognise Providers expectations?

• Metadata• Accuracy/quality• Fairness• Trust

• To get providers/collectors to contribute willingly– compulsion– volunteer

-Sp. name-Location

-Date

-Species nameTaxonomy, synomym(s), citation(s),

voucher, …

-LocationGeographic position, scale, coordinate system,

Datum, georeference tool, …

-RoleOwner, originator, point of contact, PI, processor, measurer, organisation(s), …

-Date-Vegetation dimensions

-Plot dimensions-Site variables

-etc, etc

Simple

Complex

Users need Metadata!

Metadata complex cont.

• The more complex metadata, the more important it is for data Users

Accuracy/quality/standards

• Users need to know accuracy and level of quality control

• Repository needs to set standards

• Data providers are the main source of information

Fairness and Trust

• Data archive/repository creates a distance between the data Provider and the data User

• Repository needs to uphold and promote fairness and trust between Owners, Providers and Users

Data repository and exchange principles

POLICY• Enhance public availability of biodiversity data• Make principles and conditions publicly availableLEGAL• Agreed data-sharing arrangements with data Owners• Manage personal data details in accordance with legal

conventions MANAGEMENT• Protect the interests of data Providers• Ensure sufficient metadata to assess scope and potential

uses• Expect data Users to contribute to collection, collation and

management of repository

Summary

• To operate in a fair and trustworthy manner while balancing the needs of Owners, Providers and Users, a data repository needs to have:

– A legal framework and data-sharing agreement with data Owners

– Clear principles for both data Providers and Users

– Some form of recognition/benefit to data Providers to ensure their ongoing participation