ISC World Data System explained

World Data System
Abbreviation:ISC-WDS
Headquarters:Oak Ridge, Tennessee, United States
Type:INGO
Leader Title:2021-2024 Chair
Leader Name:Dr. David Castle (Canada)

The World Data System (WDS) was created by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the predecessor to the International Science Council (ISC), at their 29th General Assembly in October 2008.[1] The mission of the World Data System is to enhance the capabilities, impact and sustainability of member data repositories and data services by creating trusted communities of scientific data repositories, strengthening the scientific enterprise throughout the entire lifecycle of all data related components - creating first-class data that feeds first-class research output, and advocating for accessible data and transparent and reproducible science.[2]

Historical Background

WDS builds on the 50+ years legacy of the World Data Centers and Federation of Astronomical and Geophysical Data Analysis Services established by the International Council for Science (ICSU) to manage data generated by the International Geophysical Year (1957–1958).[3] It became clear after the International Polar Year (2007–2008) that these bodies could not respond fully to modern data needs. Consequently, they were disbanded by the ICSU General Assembly in 2008 and replaced by the World Data System in 2009.[4] [5] [6]

Governance

The World Data System is governed by the Scientific Committee (SC)[7] composed of leading scientists and experts actively involved with data. Per the WDS Constitution (Annex 1), the SC consists of a Chairperson and no more than eleven additional members. Committee members are elected to serve for a term of three-year, renewable once.  The current SC composition is listed on WDS’s website.

Offices

The World Data System consists of two offices, the International Program Office (IPO) in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, United States, and the International Technology Office (ITO) in Victoria, Canada.

The International Program Office was established in 2011 and formally inaugurated in 2012, hosted by the Japanese National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) in Tokyo, Japan. The hosting agreement was renewed in 2015 to continue operating the IPO through 2021.[8] [9] [10] In 2021, the office moved to Oak Ridge, Tennessee, United States and is hosted by the University of Tennessee Oak Ridge Innovation Institute (UT-ORII) located at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).[11]   The office is funded through a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science (DE-SC0021915). The IPO coordinates the operations of WDS and is responsible for implementing the decisions of the Scientific Committee.

The International Technology Office was established in 2018 in Victoria, Canada with the office housed on the University of Victoria’s Queenswood campus. It is hosted by a Canadian consortium of three WDS members: Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) at the University of Victoria, the Canadian Astronomy Data Centre (CADC) of the National Research Council (NRC) in Victoria, and the Canadian Cryospheric Information Network/Polar Data Catalogue (CCIN/PDC) at the University of Waterloo.[12] The ITO was formed with the mission to build trustworthy and enduring global research data infrastructure for the public good. They support repositories as they maintain and upgrade their services, including the creation of technical roadmaps and mature infrastructure. It is responsible for developing research to support technical services for repositories, including creating user interfaces, crosswalks, and complex queries.

Data Sharing Principles

The WDS Data Sharing Principles[13] [14] are in line with the data policies of national and international initiatives, including those of the Group on Earth Observations, the G8 Science Ministers’ Statement and Open Data Charter, the OECD Principles and Guidelines for Access to Research Data from Public Funding, as well as the Science International Accord on Open Data in a Big Data World enunciated jointly by the International Science Council—then separately, the International Council for Science and the International Social Science Council—the InterAcademy Panel, and the World Academy of Science.

Members

World Data System membership is open to organizations that operate as data repositories, networks of data repositories, data stewards, and organizations that support data repositories and research data best practices. All members must adhere to the WDS Data Sharing Principles, Constitution, and Bylaws. In addition, Regular Members must show proof of CoreTrustSeal certification.

There are five different kinds of membership[15] within the World Data System. A map and directory of membership is available online.  

Notes and References

  1. Web site: World Data System (WDS) . 2024-07-11 . International Science Council . en-US.
  2. Web site: Constitution . 2024-07-11 . World Data System . en-US.
  3. Web site: 2013-06-07 . The International Geophysical Year, 1957-1958 . 2024-07-11 . web.archive.org.
  4. Web site: International science community to build a 'World Data System' . 2024-07-11 . iTnews.
  5. Web site: 2012-10-21 . International Science Council to Revamp World Data Centers . 2024-07-11 . web.archive.org.
  6. Web site: About . 2024-07-11 . World Data System . en-US.
  7. Web site: Scientific Committee . 2024-07-11 . World Data System . en-US.
  8. Web site: JAPAN . SCIENCE COUNCIL OF . 日本学術会議ホームページ - 内閣府 . 2024-07-11 . 日本学術会議ホームページ . ja.
  9. Web site: お知らせ&イベント 世界科学データシステム国際プログラムオフィス開所式(2012年5月9日開催) NICT-情報通信研究機構 . 2024-07-11 . www.nict.go.jp.
  10. Web site: Roberto . 2016-04-07 . World Data System marks fifth anniversary of International Programme Office . 2024-07-11 . International Science Council . en-US.
  11. Web site: 2021-01-14 . United States to Host World Data System’s International Program Office - United States Department of State . 2024-07-11 . web.archive.org.
  12. Web site: Roberto . 2018-04-12 . ICSU World Data System International Technology Office to open in Canada . 2024-07-11 . International Science Council . en-US.
  13. Web site: Data Sharing Principles . 2024-07-11 . World Data System . en-US.
  14. Web site: Emerson . Claudia . Faustman . Elaine M. . Mokrane . Mustapha . Harrison . Sandy . 30 November 2015 . World Data System (WDS) Data Sharing Principles . 11 July 2024 . Zenodo.
  15. Web site: Members . 2024-07-11 . World Data System . en-US.