The e m 'e-Science' commonly e e s o la ge-scale scien i ic collabo a ions ca ied ou o e he 'G id',
a echnical a chi ec u e and in as uc u e o co-o dina ed and dis ibu ed sha ing o da a, esou ces and
communica ions.e-Science me hodologies inc ease capaci y and capabili ies, and a e apidly ans o ming
no jus science, bu also medicine, enginee ing, and business; hei e ec is hus nea -global.Typical and
gene ic da a ypes ange om obse a ional da a, o la ge-scale expe imen al da a, simula ion, modelling,
and design.
Cu a ion o da a collec ed and de eloped du ing hese in es iga ions is i al o pos -analysis
esul s e i ica ion, u he expe imen a ion and cumula i e analysis.Ye despi e i s impo ance, usually
only a e y small pe cen age o ou pu s a e p ope ly managed and cu a ed o e-use. Failu e o p ope ly
cu a e means ha in es men s a e no maximised, esea ch canno be alida ed o eliably ex ended, and
may e en esul in da a loss and inco ec in e p e a ion. Vigo ous cu a ion p ac ices should be
implemen ed o add ess hese isks, ensu e da a p o enance and in eg i y, and enable eliable e-use.The
scale and impo ance o he esea ch means a holis ic and in e ope able app oach o cu a ing esea ch
ou pu s is equi ed. Ul ima ely, his is an issue ha can only be add essed on a collabo a i e scale, like he
G id i sel , and equi es inpu om all s akeholde s ac oss he en i e da a li e-cycle.
Cu a ing e-Science Da a
www.dcc.ac.uk
Sho - e m Bene i s and Long- e m Value
Cu a ion enables con iden and eliable e-use o da a. I has immedia e and sho - e m bene i s o da a c ea o s,
esea che s, unde s and da a e-use s, in ha cu a ion:
• Imp o es he quali y o esea ch da a
• P o ides access o eliable wo king da a
• Allows conclusions o be alida ed ex e nally
• Applies good eco d-keeping s anda ds o da a cap u e including in lab and ield elec onic no ebooks, which
enables scien is s o d aw conclusions om eliable and us wo hy wo king esea ch da a
• Enables la ge amoun s o da a o be analysed and de eloped ac oss di e en loca ions by main aining
consis ency in wo king p ac ices and in e p e a ions
• Manages ela ionships be ween di e en e sions o dynamic o e ol ing da ase s, and acili a es linkage wi h
o he ela ed esea ch and be ween p ima y, seconda y and e ia y da a
• Ensu es aluable knowledge and da a o igina ing om sho - e m esea ch p ojec s does no become
obsole e o inaccessible when unding expi es
• Allows da a se s o be combined in new and inno a i e ways, e.g. his o ic biodi e si y da a and GIS da a can
be combined o in es iga e ends in ecosys em de elopmen
O e he longe e m, da a cu a ion:
• Facili a es he eco ding o e idence wi hin he scien i ic p ocess
• Maximises he po en ial o collec ed/analysed da a and he ini ial inancial in es men
• Iden i ies and ensu es aluable and non- ep oducible da a is p ese ed and can be e-used o empo ally
cumula i e analysis
• P o ides a amewo k o add ess echnological obsolescence h ough eliable and con olled da a mig a ion
and managemen o pe sis en , eliable me ada a
• Enables p o enance o da a o be e i ied
• Allows u u e use s o eliably e-use o d aw upon olde esea ch da a in new esea ch
BRIEFING PAPER Oc obe 2006
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Cu a ion in P ac ice
Responsibili ies o good cu a ion a e sha ed be ween scien is s and esea ch g oups, scien i ic communi ies
(wi h suppo om unding bodies o comme cial o ganisa ions), and (sup a-)na ional esea ch g oups.These
ange ac oss he li e-cycle o he ma e ials and o en equi e in ol emen om mo e han one g oup. Cu a ion
is no , howe e , simply a echnical conce n and should also add ess o ganisa ional and cul u al issues. These
include:
• Ongoing communica ion be ween di e en si es o a oid p oblems caused by di e en sys ems and
ins i u ional goals
• Iden i ying s a a each si e wi h a esponsibili y o p omo e cu a ion and cu a ion conce ns
• De eloping policies and p ocedu es o add ess and de ine good p ac ice in da a c ea ion, managemen ,
ans e , s o age, a chi ing, p ese a ion, access and e-use
• T aining and educa ion o ensu e compliance wi h de ined good p ac ice
Immedia e p ac ical and echnical aspec s o scien is s and esea ch g oups:
• Using Open Sou ce So wa e and Open S anda ds o acili a e exchange and pe sis ence o da a h ough
and ac oss di e en sys ems
• Good anno a ion and c ea ion o me ada a o enable e-use o da a
• Ensu ing p ima y, seconda y, and e ia y le els o esea ch ma e ials a e linked and ha links a e
pe sis en
• Using unique and pe sis en iden i ie s and a consis en ci a ion o ma
• Iden i ying and selec ing app op ia e da a o long- e m cu a ion and access
Longe - e m conside a ions o scien i ic g oups, communi ies, and unding bodies:
• Moni o ing and upda ing old s o age de ices – obsolescence o s o age de ices has al eady been no ed as
a pa icula p oblem in as onomy and pa icle physics
• Iden i ica ion o p o ision o signi ican and scalable eposi o y acili ies and in es iga ion in o po en ial
p ese a ion and access issues ega ding da a o ma s, da a mig a ion, and e-use equi emen s
• Es ablishing p ocesses o alida e and au hen ica e mig a ed da a
The scale and dis ibu ed na u e o e-Science esea ch means collabo a i ely-de eloped, gene ic, and epea able
echnical solu ions a e pa icula ly bene icial and cos e ec i e. Simila ly, o ganisa ional and cul u al challenges
a e mo e easily me by sha ing e o amongs pa ne s bu mus be ailo ed o he con ex , equi emen s, and
esou ces o a gi en ins i u ion o g oup.
Addi ional Resou ces
Hey,T.,T e e hen,A. E. Cybe in as uc u e o e-Science, Science, 308, 817-821 (2005)
Lo d, P & MacDonald,A, e-Science Cu a ion Repo (2003) h p://www.jisc.ac.uk/uploaded_documen s/e-ScienceRepo Final.pd
Szalay,A., G ay, J., Science in an exponen ial wo ld, Na u e, 440, 413-414 (2006)
Schop , Jenni e M Wha do we mean by he G id and eResea ch? (2005) h p://www.dcc.ac.uk/e en s/cu l-sconul/p esen a ions/j-
schop .pp
e-Science Co e P og amme websi e: h p://www. cuk.ac.uk/escience/
HE/FE and e-Science Pe spec i e
“The digi al da a deluge will ha e p o ound epe cussions o he in as uc u e o esea ch and beyond. Da a
om a wide a ie y o new and exis ing sou ces will need o be anno a ed wi h me ada a, hen a chi ed and
cu a ed so ha bo h he da a and he p og ammes used o ans o m he da a can be ep oduced o use in
he u u e.The da a ep esen a new ounda ion o new esea ch, science, knowledge and disco e y.”
JISC Senio Managemen B ie ing Pape , 'The Da a Deluge' (2004)
h p://www.jisc.ac.uk/index.c m?name=pub_da adeluge
