[CODATA-international] Issues to tackle (a selection) Re: Digital Feudalism

Sun Oct 13 14:28:18 EDT 2019

Here is one more item to add to your list, Prof Huettmann. The 17 SDGs are strongly interconnected nodes of Big Data. We will never succeed in addressing them in isolation, and we can't track what we cannot measure. Co-ordinated interdisciplinary approaches are vital. See https://www.mdpi.com/journal/data/special_issues/Sus_Development

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
Sheffield, S1 2NU
United Kingdom
Tel. +44-114-2256914 (Direct)
Tel. +44-114-2255555 (General)
https://www.shu.ac.uk/about-us/our-people/staff-profiles/kassim-mwitondi
________________________________
From: Falk Huettmann <fhuettmann at alaska.edu>
Sent: 13 October 2019 18:43:37
To: BOULTON Geoffrey <Geoff.Boulton at ed.ac.uk>
Cc: Mwitondi, Kassim <K.Mwitondi at shu.ac.uk>; CODATA International <codata-international at lists.codata.org>
Subject: Issues to tackle (a selection) Re: [CODATA-international] Digital Feudalism

Dear Kind Colleagues,
thanks indeed for those great communications and reads; they are important and pretty new for this list and group; WELL DONE.
I am very impressed to see that, finally.

However,
considering ICSU & UN listens here,
for real progress,
you must tackle some relevant points:

-define and take a position, e.g. that global equality matters

-accept that data and computing uses finite resources, e.g. every email has an energy and water footprint

-work towards a sustainable business model, and governance model (arguably, ~all royal democracies are based
 on hard core old-fashioned resource extraction, namely oil & mining)

-accept that most of the EU and much of 'the West' still run apparent and appalling  neocolonial schemes,
 and thus ask for a change/improvement

-understand that neither EU nor Africa, habor a Silicon Valley, and thus, can hardly compete with
 technical innovation of hard- and software in real terms

-understand that 'digital data means food'; those are not disconnected or de-coupled and can't be

-accordingly climate change remains the biggest topic to tackle, and data issues are simply to serve/cater those things

-education and teaching on those things: how done ?

-UNEP -based in Nairobi - are to be on-board but require a hefty change of direction and lead

-China plays a big role in Open Access either way and is to be addressed

-cyberwarfare: how addressed ?

-banks, specifically the ones in Switzerland, London, Qatar, NY etc play a major role (see Basel Accords https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basel_Accords
 for lack of computing/data & transparency issues) and of course: The World Bank

-for an organization like CODATA, their conference footprints are vast so why not having it online and live-streaming
 to minimize the carbon footprint ?

-transportation and logistics: how dealt with (a big data and computation schema) ?

-relevance of the nation-state when the WWW takes over globally ?

Just a few ideas for a start on the topic; thanks.
If somebody really wants to understand many aspects of open data and computing, I propose you start with perspectives from Bukina Faso, or Papua New Guinea.
Considering that most people on earth earn less than 4$ a day, it's the reality view to take.

I found a good start in the RIO convention and its founders, and with the Antarctic Treaty and the last International Polar Year, but that progress has apparently stalled.
Other treatise and good reflections exist, but are hardly found at our academic institutions, in informatics, and have certainly not hit Microsoft, Google, Apple or Facebook, IBM etc.
 (most of them are known to deny and counter climate change btw). Such concepts are not awarded at all, but really should.

That's my view.

Please keep me posted for good progress; this topic really matters.
   Falk Huettmann PhD, Professor
      Uni of Alaska Fairbanks

On Sat, Oct 12, 2019 at 12:06 AM BOULTON Geoffrey <Geoff.Boulton at ed.ac.uk<mailto:Geoff.Boulton at ed.ac.uk>> wrote:
Dear Correspondents

What has been described in the various letters is a process that has become clearer over the years, and which is now well documented. Together with several colleagues (Kenya, Botswana, Senegal) I have been doing some work for the African Science Granting Councils (19 African States) that analyses advantages and disadvantages for Africa of federated open science practices, together with the policies required to deliver them to best effect. The issues you have all described are being addressed, such that we hope the Granting Councils will address them, together with International Partners. It would be very helpful if we were able to call on your experiences as evidence. Would any of you be prepared to write a paragraph or two about particular instances that highlight key problems?

All good wishes

Geoffrey Boulton
CODATA Past President

Geoffrey Boulton OBE FRS FRSE
Regius Professor of Geology Emeritus
University of Edinburgh
Grant Institute, Kings Buildings
Edinburgh EH9 3JW
44 (0)131 667 2531
Mob: 44 (0)7590978510
Website: www.geos.ed.ac.uk/homes/gboulton<http://www.geos.ed.ac.uk/homes/gboulton>

On 12 Oct 2019, at 00:46, Mwitondi, Kassim <K.Mwitondi at shu.ac.uk<mailto:K.Mwitondi at shu.ac.uk>> wrote:

This is an instance of a biased data ownership. A few years ago I was working with a young African researcher on an agro-forestry research project. No sooner had we started than I realused that her centre had only some descriptive statistics but no direct access to the biomass data which she and her colleagues had spent months collecting from two islands! The vast chunk of the data had left with the development partners at the end of the project. It turned out, nobody at the centre had any knowledge or pressing interest to pursue the data and there was already new initiatives to run another project, which in my view was almost a duplicate of the first, but this time with a different development partner.

To cut the long story short, I have come across several cases of data ownership of this nature and my view is that it doesn't help much coining terminologies, as the best that can be achieved is a blame culture. Would I call that data capitalism? Colonialism? Feudalism? I never would! I have learnt, over the years, that proper problem identification is a major stride in working out the solution. Blaming it on one part marginalizing the other when it comes to data generation, access and ownership is stripping everyone on the project of a fundamental responsibility in managing the project.

Apparently, the problem starts with the project write-up. If the project recipient is fully engaged from project initiation to delivery, they surely should know how to access the data, as that is a key project deliverable. My personal experience is that there are a several factors that lead to this kind of situation. One, many project ideas are top-down, that is, they are not developed within the working conditions of the recipients. Two, there are often many gaps in engagement, mainly caused by near disparate motives on many projects, with the funders, experts and recipients not necessarily having the same perception, motives or knowledge. Put the two together and add the determined project timeline, you have a near disaster. But the tripartite interests to run projects continues and we are creating a vicious cycle. What is the solution? It must start from the recipients who must align each incoming project with their respective development strategies. They must present themselves as equal partners in defining the project problem and tracking and measuring its outcomes. They should be able to quantifiable identify what worked and what didn't and any there should be national institutions charged with such responsibility. I could be writing all night, I would rather stop here for now.

Thanks.

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
Sheffield, S1 2NU
United Kingdom
Tel. +44-114-2256914 (Direct)
Tel. +44-114-2255555 (General)
https://www.shu.ac.uk/about-us/our-people/staff-profiles/kassim-mwitondi
________________________________
From: CODATA-international <codata-international-bounces at lists.codata.org<mailto:codata-international-bounces at lists.codata.org>> on behalf of Trimpact - Niek <niek at trimpact.nl<mailto:niek at trimpact.nl>>
Sent: 11 October 2019 18:12:22
To: 'Ernie Boyko' <boykern at yahoo.com<mailto:boykern at yahoo.com>>; 'CODATA International' <codata-international at lists.codata.org<mailto:codata-international at lists.codata.org>>; 'Suchith Anand' <Suchith.Anand at nottingham.ac.uk<mailto:Suchith.Anand at nottingham.ac.uk>>
Subject: Re: [CODATA-international] Digital Feudalism

Dear all,

This is indeed a huge problem. I also recently learned that information data from NGOs are best perhaps shared with some ministries in Bamako, Mali, but not within a region where the work is being done. This implies that local decision makers remain dependant on the information/data stream back from the ministries which may take some months, if ever. This can never be the purpose of the work executed.

Since most of the projects are financed with public funding for the benefit of de people in the given (development) country and data/information belong in fact to the real funds provider of the work (i.e. tax payers), claims of intellectual property rights that data belong to the project executors seem not applicable. Consequently, data and other information (e.g. lessons learned) should be shared at large to the population and other relevant stakeholders to avoid duplication of efforts.

A discussion worthwhile to be continued.

Kind regards,

Dr. Niek van Duivenbooden

<image001.png>  Bringing value to life

Mezenlaan 138  -  6951 HR Dieren  -  The Netherlands – T +31 61 13 81 061
KvK: 64218422   - niek at trimpact.nl<mailto:niek at trimpact.nl> - www.Trimpact.nl<http://www.trimpact.nl/>

Van: CODATA-international <codata-international-bounces at lists.codata.org<mailto:codata-international-bounces at lists.codata.org>> Namens Ernie Boyko
Verzonden: vrijdag 11 oktober 2019 15:26
Aan: CODATA International <codata-international at lists.codata.org<mailto:codata-international at lists.codata.org>>; Suchith Anand <Suchith.Anand at nottingham.ac.uk<mailto:Suchith.Anand at nottingham.ac.uk>>
Onderwerp: Re: [CODATA-international] Digital Feudalism

Thank you Suchith,
I have not heard that term before but I did run into   related term this week at the DDI-CODATA workshop here in Dagstuhl.  The term is Data Colonialism.  This often happens when a foreign entity (e.g., a development agency/project).e data are collected in a developing country and are taken out of the country.  They will leave behind some summary tables but will take the rich data and metadata away.  This makes it difficult to develop the data analysis and management skills within the country.

Thanks for the message.

Cheers, Ernie
+1-613-290-2804
Larrimac:  More than a golf course!
CODATA: Making data work together to improve science to support decision makers.

On Friday, October 11, 2019, 08:51:29 AM EDT, Suchith Anand <Suchith.Anand at nottingham.ac.uk<mailto:Suchith.Anand at nottingham.ac.uk>> wrote:

I came across a recent op-ed by Prof. Mariana Mazzucato on “Digital Feudalism”  at

https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/platform-economy-digital-feudalism-by-mariana-mazzucato-2019-10?utm_source=Project+Syndicate+Newsletter&utm_campaign=d192f2bc47-sunday_newsletter_6_10_2019&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_73bad5b7d8-d192f2bc47-105013549&mc_cid=d192f2bc47&mc_eid=a8cee90b20

Prof. Mazzucato is a leading researcher and thinker on Technology and Innovation, advisor to the European Commission on research and innovation strategy, and author of two important books on the subject “The Value of Everything” and “The Entrepreneurial State”.

The report on “Mission-oriented Research and Innovation in the European Union” might be of interest
https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/info/files/mazzucato_report_2018.pdf

Since the use of cloud platforms for GIS data analysis is having a huge impact on the GIS community, the subject is of relevance. I would like learn more on this

  1.  Are there any examples of Digital Feudalism in GIS?
  2.  How will Digital Feudalism in GIS affect our future generations?
  3.  What policies are governments, regulators doing to reduce Digital Feudalism in GIS?
  4.  What policies and curriculum are universities, educators adopting to reduce Digital Feudalism in GIS?

Best wishes,

Suchith

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