A shared research data service for the UK

1
A shared research data service for the UK?

• Jean Sykes
• Librarian and Director of IT Services

2
Overview of presentation

• Whats the problem to be solved?
• Are there already seeds of a solution?
• The HEFCE shared services call
• The CURL (now RLUK)/RUGIT bid
• Funders and stakeholders
• Aims of the project
• Progress so far
• What are researchers telling us?
• Next steps
• How can SCONUL members help?

3
Whats the problem?

• Research data an untapped resource
• Often unstructured and inaccessible
• Lack of policies and standards
• The data deluge not just big science
• Many formats and disciplines
• HEI library and computing services under pressure
  to help (mainly storage) unsustainable in the
  future

4
Whats the problem?

• Not just a question of data storage
• Whole life cycle creation, selection, ingest,
  storage, metadata, retrieval, review,
  preservation
• Increasing research requirement to
  access/analyse/synthesise others data
• Its the management of the data that needs
  addressing UK-wide

5
Seeds of a solution?

• OSI-infrastructure report posed the question
  February 2007
• But no immediate follow-up, no road map produced
• JISCs Integrated Information Environment
  provides the infrastructure
• Digital Curation Centre and Digital Preservation
  Coalition in place
• Beacons of good practice among Research Councils
  (ESRC, NERC)

6
Seeds of a solution?

• GRID computing and middleware maturing
• Current JISC project work in the field data
  preservation costs, data audit framework,
  skills/roles/career development of data
  scientists, federated tools and services
• Current RIN studies publication and quality
  assurance of research data, data stewardship
  principles

7
Seeds of a solution?

• Work under way in other countries
• US Interagency Working Group on Digital Data
  working on a national approach to data storage
  and curation
• ANDS (Australian National Data Service) a
  government initiative
• ESFRI (European Strategy Forum on Research
  Infrastructures) road map and green paper

8
HEFCE shared services

• Spring 2007 HEFCE shared services call
• For collaborative feasibility studies
• CURL and RUGIT got together with support from
  SCONUL, UCISA and JISC
• Set up small working group to draft the bid
• Bid was for UK research data service feasibility
  study

9
HEFCE shared services

• HEFCE was very interested in this bid
• Support was gained from many more stakeholders
  across the UK
• A more detailed proposal was submitted
• The CURL/RUGIT group worked on a full ITT for a
  major consultancy
• HEFCE approved 200k for this study

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Funders and stakeholders

• The HEFCE funds were needed for the major
  consultancy
• The project also needed a manager and funds for
  advocacy and dissemination
• JISC provided 35k
• CURL and RUGIT each provided 10k
• Total funding for the project 255k

11
Funders and stakeholders

• The project became known as the UKRDS
• A JISCmail stakeholder list was drawn up
• 40 stakeholder agencies all HE FCs and RCs,
  RCUK, BL and TNA, UUK and Russell Group, SCONUL
  and UCISA
• 4 case study volunteers Bristol, Leeds,
  Leicester and Oxford

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Aims of the project

• Develop understanding of UKs current and future
  research data service needs
• Work with other UK stakeholders to identify
  priorities for action
• Develop a number of scenarios/options for the
  shared service from do nothing to a managed
  national service
• Develop a detailed business plan for the
  preferred option(s)

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Aims of the project

• Include assessment of costs and benefits in
  options appraisal
• Indicate both scale of investment required and an
  estimate of ROI
• Present outline governance proposals for the
  preferred option(s)
• Consultants report due in December 2008

14
Progress so far

• Consultants appointed and started in March SERCO
• Project manager started in April John Milner
• Project initiation document completed and work
  packages and timescales agreed
• Case study participants contacted and meetings
  set up in April

15
Progress so far

• High-level Steering Cttee established met on 18
  March next meeting 10 July
• RLUK/RUGIT group is now Project Management Board
• Project has its own website domain
  http//www.ukrds.ac.uk
• Comprehensive communications and advocacy plan

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Progress so far

• Case study visits and researcher interviews done
  during April and May Oxford doing its own study
• Questionnaires distributed to individuals and
  research groups
• Key stakeholder interviews under way
• Total number of individuals consulted so far
  over 700

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What are researchers telling us?

• Data storage low demand for short-term storage
  (1-12 months), and considerable demand for 1-5
  and 5 years
• Data volumes over 360 growth anticipated over
  the next 3 years
• Data life/usefulness c50 of data is estimated
  to have a useful life of under 10 years 26 seen
  as having indefinite retention value

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What are researchers telling us?

• Data location most research data is held
  locally, with 21 of respondents using a national
  or international facility
• Most researchers share data (12 do not), but
  mainly within research network teams and
  collaborators 18 share via a data centre
• 43 would like access to others data
• Different attitudes towards a UKRDS often boil
  down to the presence or not of a national data
  centre for the subject

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Next steps

• Analyse questionnaire and interview responses in
  some detail
• Maintain liaison with Oxford project
• Continue stakeholder interviews
• Prepare interim report for Steering Cttee meeting
  on 10 June
• Prepare business plan by end of July

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How can SCONUL members help?

• Advocacy in your own institution
• Especially with VCs and pro-VCs
• With research centre directors and individual
  researchers as appropriate
• Even if your institution does not hold lots of
  research data, your researchers will want access
  to others data
• So watch out for messages coming out from John
  Milner and Jean Sykes

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