Inside Information. News and views from Richard Hughes.

Data is at the heart of science and scientific endeavour. Colleagues here at the BGS have heard me say on many occasions that data is the lifeblood of our organisation, and I hope this statement isn?t turning into a platitude because it?s as true now as the first time I said it. Our well-managed data enables BGS to carry out geoscience research of the highest quality, to deliver key data-sets and information products that support business and the public, and to support teaching and research in higher education. More widely, of course, access to scientific data is fundamentally important to the basic principle of scientific enquiry based upon empirical evidence, with availability of the data allowing repeatability and 'reproducability'.

Yet despite the undisputed importance of science data it?s true that the ?creators? of data-sets don?t get the same recognition and kudos as their colleagues who publish scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals. But things are happening in the publishing world that mean this issue may become a thing of the past.

At least one major publishing house has launched recently an online-only, open access journal where scientific data can be formally published, in a way that includes scientific peer-review. In this way the data-set creator can get the full credit for their efforts, while also improving the scientific record, providing version control for the community and allowing major data-sets to be fully described, cited and discovered. The journal in question is the ?Geoscience Data Journal? (GDJ) published by Wiley-Blackwell in partnership with the Royal Meteorological Society. And here I should declare an interest as I?m on the editorial board of this journal (but have no other involvement with Wiley-Blackwell).

GDJ aims to publish short data papers cross-linked to ? and citing ? datasets that have been deposited in approved data centres and awarded Digital Object Identifiers. GDJ is working with recognised data centres across the globe to develop the future strategy for data publication, the recognition of the value of data, and the communication and exploitation of data to the wider science and stakeholder communities. Amongst these data centres are the UK Natural Environment Research Council?s data centres including the National Geoscience Data Centre here at the BGS. GDJ aims to publish contributions in weather and climate, oceanography, atmospheric and ocean chemistry, cryosphere, biosphere, land surface and geology.

Data citation isn?t a new idea ? in fact learned bodies such as the American Geophysical Union have in recent years hosted workshops and town-hall meetings to develop and disseminate best practise. Such initiatives, and bold ventures from the publishing industry such as the GDJ, must be supported by the science community so that the critical importance of data-sets and the contributions of data specialists can be fully recognised within and outside our community for the benefit of all.

Source: http://britgeodata.blogspot.com/2012/08/data-is-at-heart-of-science-and.html

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