Building a Disciplinary, World-Wide Data Infrastructure

Sharing scientific data, with the objective of making it fully discoverable, accessible, assessable, intelligible, usable, and interoperable, requires work at the disciplinary level to define in particular how the data should be formatted and described. Each discipline has its own organization and history as a starting point, and this paper explores the way a range of disciplines, namely materials science, crystallography, astronomy, earth sciences, humanities and linguistics get organized at the international level to tackle this question. In each case, the disciplinary culture with respect to data sharing, science drivers, organization and lessons learnt are briefly described, as well as the elements of the specific data infrastructure which are or could be shared with others. Commonalities and differences are assessed. Common key elements for success are identified: data sharing should be science driven; defining the disciplinary part of the interdisciplinary standards is mandatory but challenging; sharing of applications should accompany data sharing. Incentives such as journal and funding agency requirements are also similar. For all, it also appears that social aspects are more challenging than technological ones. Governance is more diverse, and linked to the discipline organization. CODATA, the RDA and the WDS can facilitate the establishment of disciplinary interoperability frameworks. Being problem-driven is also a key factor of success for building bridges to enable interdisciplinary research.Comment: Proceedings of the session "Building a disciplinary, world-wide data infrastructure" of SciDataCon 2016, held in Denver, CO, USA, 12-14 September 2016, to be published in ICSU CODATA Data Science Journal in 201

Launching Delta Alliance, final report of phase 2

Delta Alliance is a network that aims to improve the resilience of the world’s deltas. It provides a foundation and framework for international knowledge sharing and development around delta issues. Phase 2 focussed on three components: developing the Delta Alliance organization, initiating network activities and (development of) research and knowledge sharing projects

Past, present and future of information and knowledge sharing in the construction industry: Towards semantic service-based e-construction

The paper reviews product data technology initiatives in the construction sector and provides a synthesis of related ICT industry needs. A comparison between (a) the data centric characteristics of Product Data Technology (PDT) and (b) ontology with a focus on semantics, is given, highlighting the pros and cons of each approach. The paper advocates the migration from data-centric application integration to ontology-based business process support, and proposes inter-enterprise collaboration architectures and frameworks based on semantic services, underpinned by ontology-based knowledge structures. The paper discusses the main reasons behind the low industry take up of product data technology, and proposes a preliminary roadmap for the wide industry diffusion of the proposed approach. In this respect, the paper stresses the value of adopting alliance-based modes of operation

WINGS Annual Report 2015

2015 represented an important milestone for us, as it was the fifth year    since incorporating WINGS as a fully?fledged non?profit membership  association with offices in Sao Paulo, Brazil.  As WINGS membership grew, so did our staff, our programs and the  complexity of our activities. In response to this new reality we initiated  2015 with a fresh Strategic  Plan for the 2015-2018 period, boasting an  ambitious vision for the  next four years, a theory of change, and three  strategic areas to guide  our work: leadership and advocacy; network  building and engagement; knowledge and capacity development

On the Road to Better Value: State Roles in Promoting Accountable Care Organizations

Outlines how accountable care organizations can deliver value through incentives to manage utilization, improve quality, and curb cost growth. Profiles states supporting the model with data, new payment methods, accountability measures, and other efforts

Shaping Global Partnerships for a Post-2015 World

As we discuss the post-2015 development agenda, how can we empower global partnerships to achieve the transformational change we need for a better future? This article provides lessons and best practices from six diverse initiatives on applying the collective impact approach on a global scale -- how to develop a common agenda, operate effective shared measurement systems, support and coordinate activities, facilitate communication, and provide strong governance for global collaborative efforts.The report uses a collective impact lens to research and evaluate a range of global partnerships, with a particular emphasis on these six diverse initiatives: Roll Back Malaria Partnership, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, Global Road Safety Partnership, the World Economic Forum's New Vision for Agriculture, the Global Partnership for Education, and the World Wide Fund for Nature