An Earth & Space Science Informatics Summit was convened in Rome 13-14th March 2008 as an Electronic Geophysical Year (eGY) activity. Participants represented the interests of more than 45 leading agencies and initiatives with an interest in geoinformatics. The Summit successfully establishing the basis for better mutual understanding and communication among the leaders of Earth & space science informatics programs worldwide, and confirmed a common resolve to work together cooperatively on data1 issues that demand a global approach. Participants noted the extraordinary growth of informatics in the Earth & space sciences, as well as elsewhere, to the extent that informatics is becoming the fourth pillar of the scientific method. At this formative stage, it is inevitable that special interest groups take individual approaches to establishing systems, interoperability protocols, data models, and so forth. Now is a critical time for establishing communication and coordination at the international level to seek uniformity in practices and standards, and reduce replication of effort. What stood out as the main challenge to be addressed is the lack of infrastructure and governance to (i) cater for the professional needs of scientists and engineers engaged in informatics and (ii) provide an international framework for policy and action. The International Council for Science (ICSU) was recognised as the peak body best positioned to exert the necessary leadership. The Summit applauded the steps already taken by ICSU in this regard, and endorsed enthusiastically the recent recommendations of the ICSU's Strategic Committee for Information and Data (listed in Appendix-A). Informatics and data stewardship activities are generally a low priority for research scientists. Further, our present reward systems provide little incentive for change. Participants at the Summit regretted this situation as it fails to reflect the growing importance of informatics and the shift in work load from the user to the provider of data. It also compromises the availability and re-use of data. Some simple, achievable steps to rectify this situation are listed in Appendix-C. In addition to the above broad issues, the Summit dealt with a range of technical, community, marketing, and governance issues. The Summit concluded with a stronger sense of common purpose among the participants and a clearer view of the steps needed to establish a productive international framework for governance and leadership. A series of recommendations were developed under the groupings Governance, Professional Structure and Coordination, Technical and Systems, Marketing, Status and Approaches to take.
Report on ESI Summit, Rome. 13-14 March 2008
S Nativi;
2008
Abstract
An Earth & Space Science Informatics Summit was convened in Rome 13-14th March 2008 as an Electronic Geophysical Year (eGY) activity. Participants represented the interests of more than 45 leading agencies and initiatives with an interest in geoinformatics. The Summit successfully establishing the basis for better mutual understanding and communication among the leaders of Earth & space science informatics programs worldwide, and confirmed a common resolve to work together cooperatively on data1 issues that demand a global approach. Participants noted the extraordinary growth of informatics in the Earth & space sciences, as well as elsewhere, to the extent that informatics is becoming the fourth pillar of the scientific method. At this formative stage, it is inevitable that special interest groups take individual approaches to establishing systems, interoperability protocols, data models, and so forth. Now is a critical time for establishing communication and coordination at the international level to seek uniformity in practices and standards, and reduce replication of effort. What stood out as the main challenge to be addressed is the lack of infrastructure and governance to (i) cater for the professional needs of scientists and engineers engaged in informatics and (ii) provide an international framework for policy and action. The International Council for Science (ICSU) was recognised as the peak body best positioned to exert the necessary leadership. The Summit applauded the steps already taken by ICSU in this regard, and endorsed enthusiastically the recent recommendations of the ICSU's Strategic Committee for Information and Data (listed in Appendix-A). Informatics and data stewardship activities are generally a low priority for research scientists. Further, our present reward systems provide little incentive for change. Participants at the Summit regretted this situation as it fails to reflect the growing importance of informatics and the shift in work load from the user to the provider of data. It also compromises the availability and re-use of data. Some simple, achievable steps to rectify this situation are listed in Appendix-C. In addition to the above broad issues, the Summit dealt with a range of technical, community, marketing, and governance issues. The Summit concluded with a stronger sense of common purpose among the participants and a clearer view of the steps needed to establish a productive international framework for governance and leadership. A series of recommendations were developed under the groupings Governance, Professional Structure and Coordination, Technical and Systems, Marketing, Status and Approaches to take.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.