what is … e-social science?

What is …e-Social Science?

Peter HalfpennyESRC National Centre for e-Social Science

NCRM Research Methods Festival

Oxford, 30 June – 3 July 2008

Outline

10 examples of ‘wouldn’t it be good if …?’ What is e-science? What is e-social science? What is NCeSS? What can NCeSS do for you?

Wouldn’t it be good if …

1. we could easily find all research data relevant to a particular topic?

whatever terminology is used allowing for variations in terminology across

different datasets using a single website to discover all data

Data Chronicles

search on a term list of data sources each data source documentation

publications relations to other terms

each term relations to terms in other data sources

debates about terms part implemented for drugs, alcohol and tobacco

Data Chronicles


2. we could easily apply occupational classifications to our data?

using any available alternative scale without manual coding or re-coding with guaranteed data security using a single website for all countries,

time periods, classifications and file formats regularly updated

GEODE

Grid Enabled Occupational Data Environment

• data index output classification / scale

• 100+ alternative index schemes• 500+ alternative output measures• varying translation rules

• searchable, standardised information about indices and output measures


3. we could combine datasets that usedifferent geographical units?

e.g. post coded data, census geography instantly – despite complexity

• extract data in different formats from several databases using different interfaces

• convert each dataset to common target geography

• combine converted datasets into one for analysis

Different source geographies

ConvertGrid

Spatial variations in HE participation rates Data

• 1991 Census – persons aged 16-19• 1991 Census Ward

• Neighbourhood Statistics – no. entering HE• 1998 Electoral Ward

• Experian - average house price• 1999 Postcode Sectors

ConvertGrid


4. we could bring all our multi-modal data together? transcribed talk audio video digital records system logs location …

Digital Replay System

system log

video

transcript

code tree

Digital Replay System


5. we could analyse talk in its context? non-verbal behaviour back-channels, e.g. head nods combine lexical, prosodic and gestural features Nottingham Multi-Modal Corpus

• 250,000 words of one- and two-party talk

• text, audio, video

• integrate recording, data management, coding and analysis

Headtalk

read

view

annotate

sort

analyse

Headtalk

automatic trackingof marked feature


6. we could capture the analysis of video data? as analysts point at movements and talk about their observations annotating the video collaboratively but in

distributed locales

MiMeG

Mixed Media Grid Collaborative video analysis


7. we could collaborate at a distance? without endless travel with richer interaction than phone and email

Access Grid

Advanced tool for video-conferencing Used for lectures at a distance, seminars,

research meetings and interviews Example of collaborative tools – Virtual

Research Environments (VREs) Supporting ‘collaboratories’ – distributed,

virtual research centres

Access Grid


8. we could visualise our results? plots maps instant changes

GEMEDA

Grid-Enabled Micro-Econometric Data Analysis

GEMEDA

area togglegender buttons

ethnic group buttons

GEMEDA


9. we could map all our data? at different levels of detail and zoom in and out

London Profiler


10. we could predict the future? where to site clinics? how many new houses will be needed? what will be the demand for elderly care?

MoSeS

Modelling and Simulation for e-Social Science model

• a complete representation of UK population• at a fine spatial scale

• simulation• to produce forecasts• relating demographics to service provision• health, transport, housing

Finally, wouldn’t it be good if …

all resources I’ve described were integrated? in a single collaborative working environment

• social networking / researcher network

• resources management – data, models, reports– upload, annotate, search

• project workspaces

• analysis tools

• visualisation tools

ourSpaces

• My tools• My collaborators• Our activities• My tags• New resources• Search• Upload• Explore• Messages

Virtual Research Environment

NCeSS portal• schedule• document archive• wiki• blog• discussion forum• access grid

NCeSS Portal

What is e-science?

“e-Science is about global collaboration in key areas of

science and the next generation of infrastructure that will enable

it.” John Taylor, former DG of Research Councils, UK Office of Science and Technology (as was)

That enabling infrastructure is the Grid

Now commonly know as e-Infrastructure

What is e-social science?

using the e-Infrastructure to: • locate, access, share, integrate, analyse and

visualise digitised data seamlessly across the Internet on a hitherto unrealisable scale

• facilitate collaboration across distributed teams

• enable advances in social research that would not otherwise have been possible.

Research infrastructure today

Many separate accesses, multiple interfaces

Database

HPC

Audio data

Analysis

Computing

Social Scientist

Computing

HPC

AnalysisData

Archive

Video data

Experiment

Future research e-Infrastructure

Seamless integration of data, analytic tools and compute resources

Social scientist

Social scientist

Social scientist

Grid

Middle-ware

Simple interface

Single sign on

Data

Data

Storage

Storage

ComputingAnalysis

Analysis

Experiment

HPC

HPC

e-Infrastructure

What is NCeSS?

major ESRC investment co-ordinating Hub at Manchester 7 major research Nodes across the UK

100+ investigators developing the e-Infrastructure advanced digital tools and services for

(collaborative) social research

Where to find out more

NCeSS display here at the Festival- in the JCR private dining room

From our website: www.ncess.ac.uk

what is … e-social science?

Documents

multimodal data

data management

data security

coded data

research data relevant

analysis of video data

participation rates

data sources debates