Workshop Proposal

Strategies for Permanent Access to Scientific Information in Latin America: Focus on Health and Environmental Information for Sustainable Development

An International Workshop

U.S. National Committee for CODATA

Brazilian National Committee for CODATA

and

CODATA Task Group on Preservation of and Access to Scientific and Technical Data in Developing Countries

Collaborations with Other Organizations
International coordination and collaboration about the issues being discussed in this project are a major reason why this workshop is being planned. As previously mentioned, the workshop itself is a collaborative effort of the Brazilian and U.S. National CODATA Committees, and the CODATA Task Group on Preservation and Archiving of Scientific and Technical Data in Developing Countries. These groups are also working with CRIA, the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, ICSTI, INASP, and WDCs to organize the workshop. In addition, the collaborating organizations have established networks of experts that they will turn to for guidance on workshop topics, speakers, and attendees. The collaboration among the ICSU groups is a follow up to the new ICSU Strategic Plan on data and information activities, as well as on the new Global Information Commons for Science Initiative recently launched by CODATA.

This activity also will be coordinated with a number of other international, regional, and national entities. At the international level, this will include collaboration with some of CODATAÃ¢ÂÂs other Task Groups, such as the joint ICSU/CODATA Working Group on Data Access, and with ICSU, through its proposed Regional Office in Latin America, and with other interested ICSU groups, such as the Panel on World Data Centers, the International Geosphere-Biosphere Program, and the aforementioned ICSTI and INASP, among others. The organizers also will collaborate with the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Environment Program, the United Nations Development Program, the Global Earth Observations System of Systems program, and with other U.N. specialized agencies and donor institutions, as appropriate. Finally, at the international level, coordination is planned with the InterAcademy Panel on International Issues, which has a current initiative on Access to Scientific Information in Developing Countries.

At the regional and national levels, the organizers of the workshop will coordinate with major universities and relevant ministries, as well as with regional organizations and programs, such as the Organization of American States, the Inter-American Development Bank, the Pan-American Health Organization, the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research, the Inter-American Geospatial Data Network, the Permanent Committee on Spatial Data Infrastructure for the Americas (PC IDEA), the Inter-American Biodiversity Information Network and the North American Biodiversity Information Network, and the Mesoamerican Information System About Biodiversity. At the national level, substantial involvement is expected from the Latin American Academies of Science and relevant national ministries.

The USNC/CODATAÃ¢ÂÂs collaboration with the Brazilian National CODATA Committee and CODATAÃ¢ÂÂs Task Group on the Preservation and Archiving of Scientific and Technical Data in Developing Countries will involve joint planning of the workshop, including identification of issues to be addressed, speakers, other invitees, and meeting schedule. All collaborating parties will have separate, but coordinated, estimates of costs that will be used to bring speakers to the meeting. The Brazilian National CODATA Committee will pay primarily for Latin American speakers and organizers, the international CODATA for other international expert speakers and organizers, and the USNC/CODATA for speakers and expert attendees from the United States. Although the CRIA and the workshop rapportuers will have responsibility for editing and producing the summary report, the publicity and dissemination of the proceedings will be done collaboratively by the co-organizers.

Report Dissemination
The workshop summary report will be available to the public and widely disseminated, without restriction, on the Web sites of the collaborating organizations and on CD-ROMs for easier distribution in Latin America. The sponsors of the project also will be asked to use their dissemination networks and to provide suggestions for outreach. The other mechanisms listed above in the Outreach and Communication section will be used as well.