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Canada’s National Data Archive Consultations

Chuck Humphrey

University of Alberta

IASSIST 2005

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Outline

• Two national consultations in Canada • National Data Archive Consultation (

NDAC), October 2000 to June 2002• National Consultation on Access to

Scientific Research Data (NCASRD), June 2004 to spring 2005

• Findings from these consultations• External influences• Future directions

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Support Received

This presentation draws upon research that was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (Grant No. 421-2000-0011 & 421-2000-0017) and upon the work of the National Data Archive Consultation and the National Consultation on Access to Scientific Research Data.

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National Data Archive Consultation. Phase One: Needs Assessment Report. May 2001.

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National Data Archive Consultation

• Investigation on behalf of the National Archives and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council conducted between October 2000 and June 2002.

• Two phases• Year 1: Demonstrate the need for

national data archiving services• Year 2: Recommend one or more

models to provide these services

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NDAC Findings

• Previous presentations at IASSIST• Yvette Hackett at IASSIST 2001• Chuck Humphrey at IASSIST 2003

• Research findings• An institutional gap analysis showed

research data in Canada were not in the mandates or practices of national institutions responsible for the preservation of Canadian heritage.

• Canadian research data are at a high risk of being lost without an institution with the explicit mandate to preserve data.

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NDAC Findings

• Research findings• Without a recognized institution responsible

for preserving research data, researchers do not know where or how to archive the data from their research, even if they would like to see the data preserved.

• A majority of interviewed researchers indicated that archiving data is not a standard activity practiced in conducting research.

• An estimate of 550 out of every 1000 funded research projects produces research data that should be preserved.

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NDAC Findings & Update

• Research findings• A typology of three organisational models

was developed from a survey of 36 international organisations providing data archiving services in the social sciences and humanities.• The topical data archive• The agency-based data archive• The comprehensive research data

archive

• Update• The implementation committee chair, who

was approached in 2003, ended being the new federal Ethics Commissioner.

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National Consultation on Access to Scientific Research Data

• A two - day National Forum was conducted in November 2004 to investigate issues regarding access to research data in Canada and to formulate recommendations.

• Experts from the natural and medical sciences were engaged to complement the work of the NDAC.

• Two ‘mind maps’ were generated to represent the achievements reached in 2010 as a result of improved data access.

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NCASRD Outcomes

• Canadian Institute for Scientific and Technical Information. Report on the national consultation of access to scientific research data. 2005.

• Primary Recommendation (out of 18):• Sponsors (stakeholders) establish a task

force (Data Force) to prepare an implementation plan and oversee:• a pilot data access project to illustrate the

concepts and values of the Report;• plan the formation of a permanent

Canadian data access organisation (Data Canada);• secure long-term federal financing of Data

Canada.

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External Influences

• OECD. Social sciences for a digital world: building infrastructure and databases for the future. Ottawa: 1999

• This event educated the President of Canada’s Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council about the existence of national data archives in ‘peer’ nations and the absence of such infrastructure in Canada.

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External Influences

• UNESCO. Charter on the preservation of digital heritage. 2003.

RESPONSIBILITIESArticle 10 – Roles and responsibilities It is for each Member State to designate one or more

agencies to take coordinating responsibility for the preservation of digital heritage, and to provide the necessary staff and resources. The sharing of tasks and responsibilities may be based on existing roles and expertise.

Measures should be taken to:

(c) encourage universities and other research organizations to ensure preservation of research data.

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External Influences

• OECD. Declaration on access to research data from public funding. 2004.

• This declaration stimulated the formation of the National Consultation on Access to Scientific Research Data in Canada at a ministerial level.

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Future Directions

• Continue conducting research: establish a field of funded research to study issues about the preservation of and access to research data.

• Areas for research:• The Data Economy: “who gets what data,

when and how”;• The Life Cycle of Data: the course of

data and its corresponding metadata from the earliest stages of planning through to the secondary uses of data;

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Future Directions

• Areas for research (continued):• Preservation Standards and Practices:

assessing standards and the best practices in long-term preservation of data;

• Data Stewardship: the ethics and best practices of sharing research data;

• Inhibitors to Access: the legal and cultural barriers to data access.

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References

Hackett, Yvette. “A national research data management strategy for Canada: the work of the National Data Archive Consultation Working Group.” IASSIST Quarterly, vol. 25, no. 3 (2001), 13 -16.

Humphrey, Charles. “A Case for a Canadian National Social Science Data Archive.” Government Information in Canada, vol. 1, no. 2 (1994).

Humphrey, Charles. “Research for building a better data community.” IASSIST Quarterly, vol. 25, no. 1 (2001), 21-24.

Humphrey, Charles. “Models of Data Archiving Services: the results of an international survey.” IASSIST 2003 Conference: Ottawa.

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References

National Data Archive Consultation. Phase One: Needs Assessment Report. May 2001.http://www.sshrc.ca/web/whatsnew/initiatives/da_phase1_e.pdf

National Data Archive Consultation. Final Report: Building Infrastructure for Access to and Preservation of Research Data. June 2002.http://www.sshrc.ca/web/whatsnew/initiatives/da_finalreport_e.pdf

National Consultation on Access to Scientific Research Data [website].http://ncasrd-cnadrs.scitech.gc.ca/about_e.shtml