1. Open data for science and society
Hello! Let's explore how open data can advance science and society!
2. Why open up data?
Opening up data might seem like a counter intuitive topic in data ethics, since we usually associate data ethics to privacy and closing off data. However data ethics is also about harnessing the potential of data as a common good for the benefit of the society. That's where opening up data and sharing it for good reasons comes into discussion. It has many benefits for science, innovation, economy and the wider society. We'll explore these benefits with real use cases, as well as the associated opportunities and challenges. Let's start with science!
3. In scientific research
New scientific results and advances are often published in reputed journals. When you read a new scientific article, you only see the results of their research but rarely have access to the data associated with the results to verify their claims. Having access to the data also helps in reproducing the research results, which is important for generalizing and advancing the scientific endeavor. In recent years, there has been significant pressure from funding agencies on researchers to open up research data and make it available, with some exceptions, such as privacy-sensitive data, to validate and increase public trust in the scientific endeavor and make the data available for others to reuse, especially if the research is performed with public funding.
4. Inclusive and equitable science
Open science promotes inclusive and equitable science. It increases the impact of scientific outputs, creating more opportunities for collaboration and innovation. It makes research findings readily available to practitioners and policymakers to implement scientific advances in practice. Open science provides value for money for taxpayers and fosters efficient use of resources and providing transparent research results to the public. Open science also encourages public engagement and citizen science. It enables researchers in developing countries to access research outputs without being excluded from scientific advancements.
5. Open government data
Governments across the world are increasingly embracing open data to increase governance transparency and create more value for citizens by providing data as a common good. Governments and public bodies produce huge quantities of data and information. If governments are able to promote the reuse of the datasets, they could enhance business creation and innovation, promote citizen engagement as well as build citizen-centric services.
6. Success stories
There are many success stories of open data applications, from business creation to agriculture and environmental well-being.
For instance, a Canadian company ApplyBoard, one of the largest online platforms for international student recruitment, uses open data on student visa processing times to present students with opportunities at partner schools in Canada, the United States, the UK, and Australia, where they have the highest chance of success.
A more impactful example is the global open data initiative for agriculture and nutrition. This project aims at making agricultural data such as land usage and productivity, hydrological and soil properties, and pest and disease management data openly available and accessible, without restrictions, to eradicate hunger by sharing the knowledge to enhance food security through sustainable and efficient agriculture.
7. Work in progress
While openly sharing relevant data seems noble, it's easier said than done. Data sharing, to be efficient, should be managed by the FAIR data principles- Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable. Making data FAIR requires data standards adoption, data curation, and resource-intensive data management. It's also not straightforward to deal with the data privacy and ownership restrictions to make data openly available. And most importantly, organizations and researchers are not used to sharing data with others. This also requires a significant attitude and cultural shift in acknowledging that data as a common good can benefit society from an ethical data standpoint.
8. Let's practice!
Excellent, now let's practice your newly acquired knowledge!