Section IV

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17 September DRAFT PAD&PFU

Creating Global Information Commons for Science

An International Initiative of the Committee on Data for Science and Technology


Contents

IV. ORGANIZATIONAL ASPECTS

A. Institutional Affiliations in the Global Information Commons for Science Initiative

Effectively advancing the goals of the Initiative requires the collaboration of the principal stakeholder groups involved in the funding, production, management, dissemination, and use of public scientific data and information, as identified in section III.A.3 above. The Initiative has been developed under the leadership of CODATA in close consultation with several international scientific and informatics organizations, most notably the International Council for Science (ICSU) and Science Commons, as discussed further below. CODATA (www.codata.org) is an interdisciplinary committee of ICSU and the principal international non-governmental organization focused on improving the policies and management of all types of scientific and technical data. CODATA has taken the lead in bringing together the other organizations representing the various stakeholder groups involved in public research and scientific information activities. The Initiative is a major component of CODATA's new strategic plan.

The Initiative is being launched in close collaboration with other scientific and informatics umbrella organizations. One suite of these groups involves the International Council for Science and groups organized under or affiliated with ICSU. The ICSU-related groups include the International Council for Scientific and Technical Information (ICSTI), the International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications (INASP), the World Data Center (WDC) System, the ICSU Scientific Unions, and the ICSU Interdisciplinary Bodies.

Other international scientific and informatics umbrella organizations with strong interests and activities in scientific informatics are also involved. These initially include the Science Commons, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the Inter-Academy Panel on International Issues (IAP), the Academy of Sciences of the Developing World (TWAS), and the eInternational Federation of Libraries (eIFL). Finally, the U.S. National Academies, through the Office of International Scientific and Technical Information Programs and the U.S. National Committee for CODATA, have been instrumental in developing the rationale and focus of the Initiative in cooperation with the core partners. All of the organizations that have been affiliated initially with the Initiative's development, and that have expressed an interest in working with it in various capacities, are briefly described below.

ICSU (www.icsu.org) is a non-governmental scientific umbrella organization with a broad, global membership of public scientific organizations, scientific unions, and interdisciplinary bodies. A recent Priority Area Assessment Report on Scientific Data and Information commissioned by ICSU recommended that "ICSU should assume an international leadership role in identifying and addressing critical policy and management issues related to scientific data and information", and that ICSU should "develop a long-term strategic framework for scientific data and information (policies, practices, and infrastructure)". The Global Information Commons for Science Initiative represents a major aspect of these ICSU objectives. The Initiative will actively coordinate with the following ICSU-related groups:

ICSTI (www.icsti.org) is an organization that is affiliated with ICSU, whose members include scientific, technical, and medical (STM) publishers and libraries. It therefore brings some of the major scientific information disseminators into the Initiative.

INASP (www.inasp.info) is an interdisciplinary body affiliated with ICSU that works primarily with STM publishers and libraries to reduce the barriers of access to subscription-based journals in the developing world and promotes training and capacity building in scientific communication activities.

The WDC System (http://ioc.unesco.org/oceanteacher/OceanTeacher2/other/WDC/wdcmain .shtml) is an international network of data centers, founded by ICSU following the 1957 International Geophysical Year, that provide open access to publicly funded data. Although most of these data centers are in developed countries, the WDC System is seeking to establish additional open data centers in developing countries.

ICSU Scientific Unions (information about all Scientific Unions is available through www.icsu.org) represent researchers in all the major natural sciences on a global basis and provide direct links to the research establishment in many countries. The ICSU Scientific Unions have many committees and programs focused on both policy and management of various data and information activities in their disciplinary areas. These entities are being invited to participate and contribute to the Initiative.

The other organizations affiliated with the Initiative at the outset include the following:

Science Commons (science.creativecommons.org), a subsidiary organization of the Creative Commons, is focused on developing a suite of "common use" licenses that use some rights, rather than all rights, reserved under existing intellectual property laws. As discussed in section II above, such permissive licensing templates are intended to promote the social interests in enhanced access to and reuse of data and information, while protecting the essential proprietary interests of rights holders. Science Commons and the Creative Commons are thus key affiliated organizations with the Initiative to jointly develop and promote such licensing templates for scientific data and information in conjunction with the other organizations and their constituencies that are affiliated with the Initiative.

UNESCO (www.unesco.org) brings together representatives of many of the world's governments with specific interest and expertise in information and communication, science, education, and culture. UNESCO already has a broad range of activities that are related to the goals of the Initiative, with an extensive network of affiliates and a strong focus on developing countries.

OECD (www.oecd.org) is another inter-governmental organization that consists of representatives of the governments from the most economically advanced nations. OECD has significant activities in policies and programs in scientific data, literature, and public-sector information, as well as in research policy more generally. The organization involves the most senior research policymakers and representatives of research funding institutions.

IAP (www.interacademies.net) is a global network of 93 science academies designed to help its members develop the tools necessary to play an active role in building national capacity to meet the needs of their respective countries, and to provide science-based advice to policy makers at the national and international levels. Many of IAP's members are also members of ICSU and the two organizations have similar objectives, including those associated with this Initiative.

TWAS (www.twas.org) is an academy of Fellows from the developing world, focusing on scientific capacity building issues and activities. TWAS provides direct links to many of the top public research decision makers and S&T leaders in the developing world.

eIFL (www.eIFL.org), is an independent foundation that strives to lead, negotiate, support and advocate for the wide availability of electronic resources by library users in transition and developing countries. Its main focus is on negotiating affordable subscriptions on a multi-country consortium basis, while supporting the enhancement of emerging national library consortia in member countries.

The U.S. National Academies (www.nationalacademies.org) comprise the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, the Institute of Medicine, and the National Research Council. Much of the intellectual foundation for the Initiative is derived from a long series of studies and reports published by the National Academies.

CODATA, together with this initial set of affiliated organizations, all of which have networks of experts in both governmental and non-governmental scientific data and information policy and practice, thus provide essential capabilities and interests of direct relevance to the goals of the Initiative. Additional information about each of these organizations is available through their respective URLs. They have many common interests in the bundle of issues that is being addressed by GICSI. These organizations will find it mutually beneficial to help develop and implement the Initiative both directly, through participation in its oversight and specific projects, as well as indirectly, by leveraging their substantial resources and networks in promoting the policies and programs supportive of the goals of the Initiative.

Although the organizations outlined above are already a formidable set of participants, the goal is to coordinate the work of the Initiative with the many other international and national stakeholder organizations and experts involved in similar activities and issues. This coordination and outreach goal is outlined above.

B. Implementing the GICSI Organizational Structure

The Initiative will be formally constituted with a founding charter that will define its objectives, scope, functions, and structure, among other key elements. The organizational relationships with the other formally affiliated organizations will be established through memoranda of understanding.

C. The Secretariat and Its Functions

A small Secretariat will be formed to implement the Global Information Commons for Science Initiative for an initial 5-year period. Progress will be reviewed by the partner organizations and external experts after the first three full years of operation to determine whether the Initiative should continue beyond the nominal period of performance and, if so, whether any revisions to the focus, scope, and structure need to be made.

The Secretariat will be staffed at a minimum by a full-time director, a full-time Web site editor, a part-time director of research, a part-time systems architect, and a full-time administrative assistant. Both the systems architect and the Web site editor may be hired as independent professional consultants. Other consultants or staff may be added, depending on the work program that is adopted and the available funding. In addition to the core Secretariat, two other regional offices will be formed as soon as possible, so that there will be an office in Europe (for the EU countries), the United States (for North America), and Japan (for the Asia-Pacific region. Additional regional offices in developing countries (for Latin America and Africa) will be added as soon as practicable.

The Director of the Initiative will be a full-time professional with broad expertise in public international research and information policy, preferably with a background in information law and contracts. The director will be responsible for:

  • Strategic planning and program development in consultation with the CODATA Officers, expert Advisory Board, the Director of Research, the Secretariat staff, and other stakeholder representatives directly affiliated with the Initiative;
  • Implementation of the strategic plan, including ongoing programs and special projects;
  • Management of operations and personnel;
  • Fund raising;
  • Outreach and public relations;
  • Any other tasks as determined by the CODATA Officers and the Advisory Board.

The Chief Editor of the Open Access Knowledge Environment will manage the day-to-day operation of the portal. Ideally, this would be a full-time post, although this may be contracted out. The Chief Editor will have control over, and responsibility for:

  • Keeping portal content current and accurate;
  • Soliciting material from GICSI community participants;
  • Keeping up with, and posting, relevant news items;
  • Establishing and maintaining relations with related initiatives, organizations, and key individuals;
  • Facilitating an online community;
  • Supporting the research functions of the online Open Access Knowledge Environment;
  • Gathering feedback on the portal use, and interacting with the users; and
  • Participating in discussions of GICSI internet technology, media relations, and general program strategy.

The Director of Research (part time) will be a professional with established social science research expertise, as well as policy involvement the area of science and technology, who will (in consultation with the Initiative's Director) take responsibility for developing, commissioning, and managing the portfolio of research and analysis projects that are to be undertaken pursuant to the Initiative (as described under item 1 of section 3.A, above)..

A Systems Architect (part time) must be an experienced professional with extensive background in information technology and open-source software applications. The systems architect will help articulate and document the requirements for establishing the Initiative's Open Access Knowledge Environment and manage the technology strategy. Consulting with the other staff in the Secretariat, the systems architect will manage the portal development, gather and document requirements from the relevant stakeholders, develop the implementation plans, and help manage the deployment of the portal. Successful deployment will include documented practices and procedures that ensure portal reliability, security, operation, and maintenance. This position also may be contracted out. These tasks are envisioned to be intensive primarily in the first few months of operation and thereafter more sporadic on an as-needed basis.

An Administrative Assistant (full time) will work directly with the director and the other staff to provide clerical and administrative support for the Secretariat.

The other two Regional Offices will consist of at least a full-time regional director and a part-time administrative assistant, with qualifications similar to those of the overall Initiative's director and administrative assistant in the Secretariat.

An external Advisory Board will contribute independent substantive advice and programmatic review from recognized experts familiar with the major domain sciences, legal scholars with expertise in intellectual property and contract law, social scientists with relevant empirical and economic policy expertise, and information technologists and managers. The Board will be geographically and institutionally representative as well. The Board will meet at least once per year in conjunction with the annual GICSI Stakeholders' Conference, although much of their work will take place through virtual consultations throughout the year.

The CODATA Executive Board will direct the Initiative through its regularly scheduled annual meetings, the biennial CODATA General Assembly, and by official communications between these meetings.

D. Budget for Core and Continuing Programs

[Not included in this draft]


APPENDIX A

Selected References

Arzberger, P., et al. (2004), "Promoting Access to Public Research Data for Science, Economic, and Social Development", Data Science Journal, CODATA, p. 135-152.

Benkler, Yochai (2002), "Coase's Penguin, or, Linux and the Nature of the Firm", 112 Yale Law Journal 369.

David, P. A. (2005), "Koyaanisqatsi in Cyberspace: The economics of an 'out-of-balance' regime of private property rights in data and information," Ch. 4 in International Public Goods and Technology Transfers under a Globalized International Property Regime, J.H. Reichman and K. Maskus, eds.

David, P. A. (2004), "Can 'Open Science' be Protected from the Evolving Regime of Intellectual Property Rights Protections," Journal of Theoretical and Institutional Economics, 160 (March).

David, P. A. (2003), "The Economic Logic of 'Open Science' and the Balance between Private Property Rights and the Public Domain in Scientific Data and Information: A Primer," in The Role of Scientific and Technical Data and Information in the Public Domain: Proceedings of a Symposium, J. Esanu and P. F. Uhlir, eds., Washington, D.C., National Academies Press.

David, P. A. and M. Spence (2003), "Toward Institutional Infrastructures for e-Science: The Scope of the Challenges," A Report to the Joint Information Systems Committee of the Research Councils of Great Britain, Oxford Internet Institute Report No. 2.

David, P. A., (2002), "The Digital Technology Boomerang: New Intellectual Property Rights Threaten Global 'Open Science,'" Proceedings of the World Bank annual conference on Development Economics-Europe 2000 (CD-ROM Supplement to the World Bank Economic Review, Washington, D.C., Summer, 2002).

The National Academies, National Academies Press, Washington, DC:

  • "Open Access and the Public Domain in Digital Data and Information for Science: Proceedings on an International Symposium" (BISO, 2004).
  • "Licensing Geographic Data and Services" (BESR, 2004).
  • "Electronic Scientific, Technical, and Medical Journal Publishing and Its Implications: Report of a Symposium" (COSEPUP, 2004).
  • "The Role of Scientific and Technical Data and Information in the Public Domain: Proceedings of a Symposium" (BISO, 2003).
  • "Resolving Conflicts Arising from the Privatization of Environmental Data" (BESR, 2001).
  • "The Digital Dilemma: Intellectual Property in the Information Age" (CSTB, 2000).
  • "A Question of Balance: Private Rights and the Public Interest in Scientific and Technical Databases" (CPSMA, 1999).
  • "Bits of Power: Issues in Global Access to Scientific Data" (CPSMA, 1997).
  • "Preserving Scientific Data on Our Physical Universe: A New Strategy for Archiving the Nation's Scientific Information Resources" (CPSMA, 1995).
  • "On the Full and Open Exchange of Scientific Data" (BESR, 1995).

Reichman, J.H. and P. F. Uhlir, (2003), "A Contractually Reconstructed Research Commons for Scientific Data in a Highly Protectionist Intellectual Property Environment," Journal of Law and Contemporary Problems, 66 (315).

Reichman, J.H, and P. F. Uhlir (Spring 1999), "Database Protection at the Crossroads: Recent Developments and Their Impact on Science and Technology", Berkeley Technology Law Journal, Vol. 14, No. 2, at 819-821.

Uhlir, Paul F. (publication pending), "The Emerging Role of Open Repositories as a Fundamental Component of the Public Research Infrastructure," in Open Access: Open Problems, Polimetrica.

Weber, Stephen (2004), The Success of Open Source. Cambridge MA: Harvard-HBS Press.

Footnotes

1 Uhlir, Paul F. (2006), "The Emerging Role of Open Repositories as a Fundamental Component of the Public Research Infrastructure," in Open Access: Open Problems, Polimetrica.

2 For a seminal article on the institutional, economic, and legal aspects of the evolving volunteer, distributed, peer-production models online, see Benkler, Yochai (2002), "Coase's Penguin, or, Linux and the Nature of the Firm", 112 Yale Law Journal 369; see also Weber, Stephen (2004), The Success of Open Source, Cambridge MA: Harvard-HBS Press.

3 See Reichman, J.H. and P. F. Uhlir, (2003), "A Contractually Reconstructed Research Commons for Scientific Data in a Highly Protectionist Intellectual Property Environment," Journal of Law and Contemporary Problems, 66 (315). See also, National research Council (2003), The Role of Scientific and Technical Data and Information in the Public Domain: Proceedings of a Symposium, Esanu, J. and P. F. Uhlir, eds., Washington, D.C., National Academies Press [available at http://books.nap.edu/catalog/10785.html];

4 National Research Council (1997), Bits of Power: Issues in Global Access to Scientific Data, National Academies Press, Washington, DC.

5 See David, P. A. (2003), "The Economic Logic of 'Open Science' and the Balance between Private Property Rights and the Public Domain in Scientific Data and Information: A Primer," in Esanu & Uhlir, eds., op. cit. note 3; Arzberger, P., et al. (2004), "Promoting Access to Public Research Data for Science, Economic, and Social Development", Data Science Journal, CODATA, p. 135-152.

6 See, e.g., National Research Council, op. cit., note 3.

7 Reichman, J.H, and P. F. Uhlir (Spring 1999), "Database Protection at the Crossroads: Recent Developments and Their Impact on Science and Technology", Berkeley Technology Law Journal, Vol. 14, No. 2, at 819-821.

8 See David, P. A. (2004),"Can 'Open Science' be Protected from the Evolving Regime of Intellectual Property Rights Protections," Journal of Theoretical and Institutional Economics, 160: pp.1-26 [Pre-print draft available at http://siepr.stanford.edu/papers/pdf/02-42.html.]; David, P. A. (2005), "Koyaanisqatsi in Cyberspace: The economics of an 'out-of-balance' regime of private property rights in data and information," Ch. 4 in International Public Goods and Technology Transfers under a Globalized International Property Regime, eds. J.H. Reichman and K. Maskus. [Pre-print draft available at: http://siepr.stanford.edu/papers/pdf/02-29.html].

9 For expressions of such concerns in a global perspective, see David, P. A., "The Digital Technology Boomerang: New Intellectual Property Rights Threaten Global 'Open Science,'" Proceedings of the World Bank annual conference on Development Economics-Europe 2000 (CD-ROM Supplement to the World Bank Economic Review, Washington, D.C., Summer, 2002 [and background study at http://siepr.stanford.edu/papers/00-02.pdf]. For an extensive review and discussion focused on the situation in the U.S. and the E.U., see Reichman & Uhlir, op. cit., note 3.

10 The original ideas for the Global Information Commons for Science Initiative were presented in a series of reports published at the U.S. National Academies and listed in the Bibliography in Appendix A for this proposal, as well as in a seminal article by Reichman & Uhlir, op. cit, note 3, and in David, P. A. and M. Spence (2003), "Toward Institutional Infrastructures for e-Science: The Scope of the Challenges," A Report to the Joint Information Systems Committee of the Research Councils of Great Britain, Oxford Internet Institute Report No. 2. (September) [Available at: http://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/resources/publications/OIIRR_E-Science_0903.pdf ]. These ideas were more fully fleshed out following an international workshop at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris on 1-2 September 2005 on the theme "Creating the Information Commons for Science: Toward Institutional Policies and Guidelines for Action" [details of the Workshop rationale and proceedings, are available at: http://www.codataweb.org/UNESCOmtg/index.html.]. The response from the participants in that Workshop (which was organized by CODATA with the joint sponsorship of ICSU, ICSTI, INASP, UNESCO, and TWAS, with the collaboration of the OECD) has led to the development of this Initiative.

11 It should be obvious from the presentation of the nature of the Global Information Commons for Science Initiative (as it is from the dependence of "free and open source software" upon copyright law) that the challenge of building a "common" in the sense intended here should not be misconstrued as the pursuit of a utopian dream to return to some imagined golden age when property rights did not exist. Application of this legal tactic -- using IP rights to enforce licensing arrangements whose purpose is to ensure continued shared access to content and future information constructed directly upon it -- has proved to be highly effective in the particular case of the open source software licensing, e.g., under the terms of the GNU General Public License. But the "contractual construction of an information common" is more general and does not depend upon the special "copyleft" (so-called "viral") provisions of that license.

12 Among the intergovernmental organizations, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) will publish in 2007 a Recommendation for Principles and Guidelines for Access to Research Data from Public Funding, and at the non-governmental level the International Council for Science (ICSU) is beginning to implement far-reaching recommendations of a recent Priority Area Assessment on Data and Information.

13 Various legislative, regulatory, and policy initiatives focused on providing open availability to scientific data and information have been proposed or are being implemented in many countries, including the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Finland, Australia, China, and South Africa.

14 For example, CERN has been a major force in leading on open access policy and practice in both the scientific data and the literature. There are many others, some of which are cited in Box 1.

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