INTER-AMERICAN WORKSHOP ON ENVIRONMENTAL DATA ACCESS

The Committee on Data for Science and Technology (CODATA) in collaboration with the Brazilian Reference Center on Environmental Information (CRIA) and the U.S. National Committee for CODATA BACKGROUND Rapidly changing technological capabilities for creating, manipulating, disseminating, and using digital scientific and technical (S&T) data are producing many new opportunities and challenges at both the national and international levels. The opportunities arise primarily in data-intensive research and applications, in the integration of heterogeneous data for new results, and in making vast amounts of factual information available for a broad spectrum of users. The inherent challenges are in effectively managing these data resources for optimal access and use, and for developing rational rules and structures for that process. At a time when S&T data and information have never been more important to the progress of science, CODATA, an interdisciplinary committee of the International Council for Science (ICSU), and the U.S. National Committee (USNC) for CODATA have worked to improve the effectiveness and impact of such activities. At both the national and international levels, CODATA is concerned with all types of quantitative data resulting from experimental measurements or observations in the natural and social sciences and in the engineering disciplines. Particular emphasis is given to data management problems common to different scientific disciplines and to data used outside the field in which they were generated. The general objectives are the improvement of the quality and accessibility of data, as well as the methods by which data are acquired, managed, and analyzed; the facilitation of international cooperation among those collecting, organizing, and using data; and the promotion of an increased awareness in the scientific and technical community of the importance of these activities. Additional information about CODATA and its activities may be found at: www.codata.org/. CODATA and the USNC/CODATA have initiated a series of bilateral and multilateral symposia and workshops that are focused on advancing these objectives by providing a forum for scientists and data managers to strengthen existing research cooperation and to initiate new collaborative activities, especially in developing countries. Two meetings were held jointly between the USNC/CODATA and the Chinese National CODATA Committee, in conjunction with the international CODATA, in 2001. More recently, a bilateral workshop was convened by CODATA, the USNC/CODATA and the Senegalese National CODATA Committee in Dakar, Senegal, in March 2002. The Senegal workshop examined data sources and data handling in the West Africa region, using the Senegal River Basin as a case study, to determine how these scientific and technical data assets are or can be better used in decision making related to sustainable development. As part of this ongoing series of meetings, CODATA and the USNC/CODATA are proposing the first Inter-American Workshop on Selected Scientific Data Issues to address S&T data issues and activities of mutual benefit to scientists and data managers in the Americas. Additional information about the Senegal River basin data project and the USNC/CODATA's other activities can be found on its Web site at: www7.nationalacademies.org/usnc-codata/. The promotion of scientific cooperation and partnerships between researchers in North and South America is an important objective in generating new knowledge, helping to protect the regional environment, promoting sustainable economic development, and generally raising the quality of life. Improved cooperation in and coordination of scientific data activities in research areas of mutual interest will enhance the value, effectiveness, and results of environmental research programs. In many cases, the issues and activities associated with data management and policy in the context of data-intensive research programs are not given adequate attention, which can lead to constraints or disruptions in cooperative research and reduce research efficiency and output. Scientists in many Latin American countries already have significant capabilities and data resources that would be of benefit to U.S. researchers through increased collaboration. Latin American researchers similarly would be afforded new or enhanced capacity-building opportunities and greater exposure to U.S. data management principles and know-how of direct relevance to their activities. The primary focus of this workshop, therefore, will be on access to environmental data, which is a topic not adequately addressed, from a scientific and technical data management, and data policy, perspective. Environmental Science Data Efforts to improve understanding of environmental variability and change, and their implications for human welfare and decision making, depend critically on the quality, accessibility, and usability of a range of environmental and related social science data. Latin America, along with many other regions of the world, faces pressing environmental problems and loss of biodiversity associated with urbanization, industrialization, agriculture, resource use, and other human activities. Such problems cut across national borders, scientific disciplines, and observing systems. A key scientific and technical challenge, therefore, is to improve access to existing and emerging sources of environmental, biological, and socioeconomic data and to develop better ways to integrate these data in support of a variety of disciplinary and interdisciplinary research and application efforts, and related policy making initiatives. Effective management of environmental and biodiversity data is an essential prerequisite for the goals of conserving biodiversity, enhancing knowledge of how to use natural resources on a sustainable basis over the long term, and promoting economic growth with social equity. The CODATA Inter-American Workshop on Access to Environmental Data would provide a significant opportunity for key individuals and institutions involved in data management and the development of data systems in the environmental sciences, biodiversity, and related sustainable development research in the U.S. and Latin America to help foster the identification of common needs and opportunities for collaboration. It would bring together selected researchers, data managers, and institutional representatives to address future directions in biodiversity and environmental data and information system development in the region. There are many initiatives and programs currently underway in the areas of environmental sciences, biodiversity, and related sustainable development research that span from the global to local levels, and that are particularly active in the region. Many of the specialized programs of the United Nations focus on these areas, including U.N. Development Programme (UNDP), the U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the U.N. Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and the U.N. Geographic Information Working Group. In addition to the relevant earth and environmental science scientific unions of the International Council for Science (ICSU), there are several interdisciplinary committees that specifically address these issues. These include the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP), the Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment (SCOPE), the Global Change System for Analysis, Research and Training (START), and the Panel on World Data Centres. ICSU also partners with various UN agencies, such as FAO, UNEP, UNESCO, and WMO to develop joint initiatives such as Diversitas - an integrated program of biodiversity science, the International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change (IHDP), and the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS), for example. Other relevant international initiatives include the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), the Global Environmental Facility (GEF), the Global Spatial Data Infrastructure (GSDI), the World Conservation Union (IUCN), the World Resources Institute, and the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). On the regional level, there are many active organizations and programs that focus on and/or support the environmental and related sciences, including the Organization of American States (OAS), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) Data and Information System, the Inter-American Geospatial Data Network (IGDN), the Permanent Committee on Spatial Data Infrastructure for the Americas (PC IDEA), the Inter-American Biodiversity Information Network (IABIN) and the North American Biodiversity Information Network (NABIN), and the Mesoamerican Information System About Biodiversity (SIMEBIO). Finally, there are many organizations involved on national levels, including the Mexican National Commission for the Understanding and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO). U.S. federal agencies with interests in the data issues that are the focus of this activity include NASA, NOAA, NSF, and USGS. The workshop would draw on some of the principal lessons learned from such initiatives and programs about environmental data, and involve representatives from those organizations. In particular, it would focus on the technical, management, policy, and socioeconomic issues relating to data access in these data-intensive environmental research areas. Other related data management and policy issues that would be considered include: alternative approaches to developing interoperability across data systems, formats, and catalogs; the design of distributed, multidisciplinary data systems; and the application of data in the development of usable information and knowledge. PLANNING ACTIVITIES CODATA, in collaboration with CRIA and the U.S. National Committee for CODATA propose to convene a 2-day workshop in collaboration with counterparts from Latin America to provide a unique opportunity for bringing together regional scientists, data managers, and representatives of research funding institutions and the policy community to identify and discuss: Scientific, technical, and institutional aspects of data access practices and policies in the environmental sciences, biodiversity studies, and related sustainable development research; High-priority opportunities and barriers for data access in these research areas; and Specific actions that can be taken to improve institutional and national policies, and regional cooperation, with regard to data access. An ad hoc planning committee consisting of U.S., Latin American, and international CODATA scientists and data experts will be formed to review the objectives of the workshop, establish a program for the meeting, and select a list of expert invitees who should participate in the meeting. Planning will be done primarily by e-mail, fax, and telephone. The workshop will be held 4-6 March 2004, in Campinas, Brazil. Local arrangements will be made by CRIA. COLLABORATIONS WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS Suggestions for invited speakers and agenda issues will be solicited from the sponsoring organizations and from various other U.S., Latin American, and international sources. Within the U.S., the workshop organizers will consult with U.S. National Committees to ICSU and other major discipline units in the National Academies with expertise and interest in the selected discipline areas, as well as with related professional societies, and with the sponsor agencies and organizations that agree to provide funding for this project. The Latin American members of the organizing committee for the workshop similarly will provide their expert input and will consult with other research institutions in their countries and region. Internationally, the organizing committee will consult and coordinate with scientific experts and organizations with relevant subject-matter interest, including the organizations identified above. CODATA groups and members, other ICSU unions and interdisciplinary committees, Latin American Academies of Sciences and major universities, and representatives of specialized agencies of the United Nations, also will be consulted and informed. REPORT A summary report of the workshop will be prepared by CODATA, and will be published online on the CODATA Web site, with a link to participating organizations. It will be made available to the public without restrictions. All participating organizations will be responsible for publicizing and disseminating the report. The results of the workshop will be used as the basis for planning subsequent collaborative activities.

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