[CODATA-international] Digital Feudalism

Tue Oct 15 12:29:48 EDT 2019

We are trying to introduce RAIR Data in SDG indicators.
Roy
On Oct 15, 2019 8:19 PM, "Kathryn Reynolds" <K.Reynolds at cabi.org> wrote:

> Hi All,
>
>
>
> I have followed with interest this discussion and how it has progressed;
> I’m particularly impressed by, and agree with, the sentiment expressed
> regarding the bottom up design of tools and training for research data
> management. CABI and the ODI are currently working on a Gates Foundation
> funded project to enhance FAIR data
> <https://www.force11.org/group/fairgroup/fairprinciples> sharing in their
> soil and agronomy projects. We are taking a human-centred design approach
> which largely aligns with the strategy proposed by Kassim below. We’re
> currently working with grantees in India and Ethiopia, as well as with the
> foundation itself, to facilitate a user-focused approach to design of
> specific tools and training to increase the availability of agronomy data
> (especially soil data). Our solution is to enable those involved in a
> project to know what data they have and how, why and where it should be
> shared. Agree with Kassim and Kobus that this should ideally be decided at
> the inception stage of any project and not be an afterthought.
>
>
>
> During our pilot project we developed resources to help map personas and
> data ecosystems to understand the specific barriers to data access:
>
>    - Smith F, Dodds L, L'Henaff P et al. Understanding personas in
>    agricultural data ecosystems. Gates Open Res 2018, 2:43 (document) (doi
>    : 10.21955/gatesopenres.1114887.1
>    <http://dx.doi.org/10.21955/gatesopenres.1114887.1>)
>    - Smith F, Dodds L, Day C et al. Creating FAIR and open data
>    ecosystems for agricultural programmes. Gates Open Res 2018,2:42 (document)
>    (doi: 10.21955/gatesopenres.1114883.1
>    <http://dx.doi.org/10.21955/gatesopenres.1114883.1>)
>
>
>
> In the current phase of the project, we are working extensively in-country
> to collaboratively produce tools and policies with our stakeholders to help
> circumvent their specific challenges. In Ethiopia, we have worked with the
> Ministry of Agriculture to produce a Soil and Agronomy Data Sharing policy
> designed around the FAIR principles, and are now working with the
> stakeholders to produce an implementation roadmap that suits their needs.
> In the Gates foundation, we are conducting user interviews to understand
> the challenges around monitoring good data management encountered by
> Project Officers. In India we have found that building trust between
> stakeholders through comprehensive sharing agreements is necessary to
> foster comfort around data sharing. By placing the action of building tools
> in the hands of those that will use them, the aim is to empower our users
> to understand and enact good data management and sharing in a way that
> actually WORKS FOR THEM.
>
>
>
> Further information about our current project can be found here:
>
>    - https://www.cabi.org/news-article/cabi-wins-grant-to-
>    help-boost-food-security-in-india-and-ethiopia-through-
>    opening-access-to-data/
>    <https://www.cabi.org/news-article/cabi-wins-grant-to-help-boost-food-security-in-india-and-ethiopia-through-opening-access-to-data/>
>
>
>
> I’d be interested in your thoughts and feedback. By strengthening data
> management practices can we minimise what’s been termed here as data
> feudalism? I think so.
>
>
>
> Kathryn
>
>
>
> *From:* CODATA-international <codata-international-bounces@
> lists.codata.org> *On Behalf Of *Cerdeira Hilda
> *Sent:* 15 October 2019 12:22
> *To:* Kobus Herbst <Kobus.Herbst at ahri.org>
> *Cc:* BOULTON Geoffrey <geoff.boulton at ed.ac.uk>; Falk Huettmann <
> fhuettmann at alaska.edu>; CODATA International <codata-international at lists.
> codata.org>
> *Subject:* Re: [CODATA-international] Digital Feudalism
>
>
>
> Dear Colleagues
>
> I have been following this discussion, and although not exactly, it
> borders the problems that many physicists working in complex systems find
> to find data to analyze, since most of the data is in the hands of
> companies which will charge dearly for them.
> Once we have focussed on the pŕoblems I can distribute the
> information to them
>
> Best regards
> Hilda
>
>
> > Dear colleagues,
> >
> > I have been following these discussions with interest. I agree with
> Kassim
> > that much can be done at the project inception level to address these
> > issues. Of relevance is this fair research initiative :
> > http://rfi.cohred.org/
> >
> > Regards
> >
> > Kobus Herbst
> > Director : South African Population Research Infrastructure Network
> > (SAPRIN)
> > Chief Information Officer : Africa Health Research Institute
> > Cell: +27-82-577-4964 Work: +27-31-203-4727
> > http://saprin.mrc.ac.za/
> >
> >
> >
> > From: CODATA-international <codata-international-bounces@
> lists.codata.org>
> > On Behalf Of Mwitondi, Kassim
> > Sent: Tuesday, 15 October 2019 01:21
> > To: Kevin McCluskey <mccluskeyk at ksu.edu>; Mwitondi, Kassim
> > <K.Mwitondi at shu.ac.uk>; Falk Huettmann <fhuettmann at alaska.edu>; BOULTON
> > Geoffrey <Geoff.Boulton at ed.ac.uk>
> > Cc: CODATA International <codata-international at lists.codata.org>
> > Subject: Re: [CODATA-international] Digital Feudalism
> >
> > Thanks Kevin. Encountering experts that never were, trainees who can't
> > cope with the rigour of the course, or conference delegates with hardly
> > any understanding or interest in the themes are all commonplace. It all
> > goes down to the "motive" behind the decision. I don't mean to digress,
> > but those are typical examples of HOW things are done, which determines
> > the outcomes.
> >
> > In an earlier message, I emphasised the need for the recipients, funders
> > and experts to have a common understanding of the underlying problem. To
> > me, some of the points you (Kevin) raise constitute the elephant in the
> > room, we don't want to see. It spells how domain knowledge tends to be
> > detached from supporting expertise or vice versa. It is about lacking
> > interdisciplinarity. We may continue to shout from roof tops, coining all
> > sorts of new terminologies about the imbalance in accessing and sharing
> > data. We may keep on blaming IPs, but I strongly believe that the main
> > challenge stems from the way we design, implement and manage projects.
> >
> > We cannot continue to parade with solutions looking for problems to
> solve.
> > Instead, we must understand the challenges of the communities and jointly
> > design, develop and implement solutions. Let us bear in mind that any
> > project is data consumer and a data generator - that is, during and
> > throughout the lifespan of any project data will be required and data
> will
> > be generated. Who will have access to those data attributes and how, are
> > questions that must have been raised and probably answered way ahead of
> > launching the project.
> >
> > KSM
> >
> > Dr Kassim S. Mwitondi
> > Sheffield Hallam University
> > Faculty of Science, Technology and Arts
> > Communication & Computing Research Centre
> > 9410 Cantor Building, City Campus
> > 153 Arundel Street
> <https://www.google.com/maps/search/153+Arundel+Street+%0D%0A+Sheffield,+S1+2NU+%0D%0A+United+Kingdom?entry=gmail&source=g>
> > Sheffield, S1 2NU
> <https://www.google.com/maps/search/153+Arundel+Street+%0D%0A+Sheffield,+S1+2NU+%0D%0A+United+Kingdom?entry=gmail&source=g>
> > United Kingdom
> <https://www.google.com/maps/search/153+Arundel+Street+%0D%0A+Sheffield,+S1+2NU+%0D%0A+United+Kingdom?entry=gmail&source=g>
> > Tel. +44-114-2256914 (Direct)
> > Tel. +44-114-2255555 (General)
> > https://www.shu.ac.uk/about-us/our-people/staff-profiles/kassim-mwitondi
> <https://www.shu.ac.uk/about-us/our-people/staff-profiles/kassim-mwitondi>
> > ________________________________
> > From: Kevin McCluskey <mccluskeyk at ksu.edu<mailto:mccluskeyk at ksu.edu>>
> > Sent: 14 October 2019 16:08:32
> > To: Mwitondi, Kassim <K.Mwitondi at shu.ac.uk<mailto:K.Mwitondi at shu.ac.uk
> >>;
> > Falk Huettmann <fhuettmann at alaska.edu<mailto:fhuettmann at alaska.edu>>;
> > BOULTON Geoffrey <Geoff.Boulton at ed.ac.uk<mailto:Geoff.Boulton at ed.ac.uk>>
> > Cc: CODATA International
> > <codata-international at lists.codata.org<mailto:codata-
> international at lists.codata.org>>
> > Subject: Re: [CODATA-international] Digital Feudalism
> >
> > Meanwhile, conversations about making digital sequence information
> > databases into a pay-as-you-go resource continue vis a vis the Nagoya
> > Protocol to the Convention on Biological Diversity.
> >
> > While this may be a simplification, there is significant push back from
> > "provider" parties who suggest that access to genetic data is not enough
> > of a shared benefit and that some monetary benefit sharing should be
> > established. This is a significant impediment to open data sharing and
> > creates pressure for private rather than public data resources.
> >
> > The CBD held a fact finding study, and subsequently hosted an ad hoc
> > technical expert group to discuss digital sequence information.
> > https://www.cbd.int/abs/dsi-gr/2017-2018/default.shtml<htt
> ps://www.cbd.int/abs/dsi-gr/2017-2018/default.shtml>
> >
> > The output of this first "ahteg" was a weak, non conclusive document that
> > spawned a repeat meeting which will be held next winter
> > https://www.cbd.int/abs/dsi-gr/2019-2020/default.shtml<htt
> ps://www.cbd.int/abs/dsi-gr/2019-2020/default.shtml>
> > Indeed, they could not even agree on what digital sequence information
> > was with obstructive participants insisting that meta data was equivalent
> > to sequence data.
> >
> > Moreover, the first "ahteg" included participants who were not technical
> > experts. One (representing Namibia and the African bloc) suggested that
> > genome sequence databases were "like kiddie porn" and this was only
> > challenged by a representative of a ngo- neither the CBD secretariat or
> > the facilitator saw that this comment was neither technical or expert.
> > Another (representing the "third world network") exhorted the technical
> > experts to "just be honest" which was again only challenged by the ngo
> > representative. Other "technical experts" to the first ahteg included
> > representatives of the international chamber of commerce, the WHO, and
> > something called the ABS Capacity Development Initiative
> >
> > Questions, such as how much data is generated from materials sourced in
> > developing nations, who accesses these data sets, and whether the data is
> > used for scientific publication (including co-authorship by scientists in
> > developing nations), or in commercial products remain un-answered. Maybe
> > codata has experts who can look at these types of questions. Certainly
> > genbank, entrez, gold, ddbj, riken, and the myriad of organism specific
> > genome databases would be impacted by any pay-as-you-go or subscription
> > model for access to genetic databases.
> >
> > In this instance, open access to data is threatened by a desire to
> monitor
> > utilization and tie it to benefit sharing. It has been my contention (not
> > shared by everyone) that the solution to the digital sequence information
> > problem lies in the data itself. If a party can show that a genetic trait
> > is unique to their sovereign territory, then they should have unique
> > exclusive rights to the utilization of that information. If, however,
> that
> > specific genetic sequence is present in organisms from many parties
> > (countries), then one party should not have exclusive rights to the
> > utilization of that information. The key here is that the data on
> > geographic distribution of the specific genetic sequence (or variant
> > thereof) is the answer to the question of who has the right to control
> > utilization of that information.
> >
> > best regards,
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Kevin McCluskey
> >
> > Research Professor, Ret
> > Department of Plant Pathology
> > Kansas State University
> >
> >
> > ________________________________
> > From: CODATA-international
> > <codata-international-bounces at lists.codata.org<mailto:
> codata-international-bounces at lists.codata.org>>
> > on behalf of Mwitondi, Kassim
> > <K.Mwitondi at shu.ac.uk<mailto:K.Mwitondi at shu.ac.uk>>
> > Sent: Saturday, October 12, 2019 2:14 PM
> > To: Falk Huettmann <fhuettmann at alaska.edu<mailto:fhuettmann at alaska.edu
> >>;
> > BOULTON Geoffrey <Geoff.Boulton at ed.ac.uk<mailto:Geoff.Boulton at ed.ac.uk>>
> > Cc: CODATA International
> > <codata-international at lists.codata.org<mailto:codata-
> international at lists.codata.org>>
> > Subject: Re: [CODATA-international] Digital Feudalism
> >
> >
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> --
> A bunch of ladies in their prime(s):
> From 25 March until 28 June 2010, the age of all my children, 3 daughters,
> and myself were prime numbers.
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