PROGRAM: 2-1

Title:

DEVELOPMENT PLAN OF THE FUTURE EARTH DATA SERVICE / SYSTEM

K. Yamada-Kawai¹*, H. Mohri¹, C. Downy¹, K. Fukushi¹, E. Brondizo¹ and M. Hernandez¹

*¹Future Earth, IR3S, the University of Tokyo Institute for Advanced Study (UTIAS), Hongo 7-3-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8654, Japan

Abstract:

Future Earth is a major international research platform providing the knowledge and support to accelerate transformations to a sustainable world. Future Earth is built on many decades of international research on global environmental change. From this intellectual base Future Earth is coordinating Global Research Projects (GRPs) and is launching Knowledge-Action Networks (KANs) to catalyze new interdisciplinary scientific sustainability research.

Future Earth is conscious that data is one of the main components that bring researchers together. On the other hand, effectively merging earth sciences data with socioeconomic data will significantly push forward the current sustainability research and associated results. If such data is in addition effectively shared among research domains, this will accelerate the research of both data contributors and users.

In order to encourage the flow of data and information among all the different stakeholders Future Earth has set up a “Data Task Force”, of which aim is to provide a service to all stakeholders (interdisciplinary scientists, decision makers and society) working with Future Earth about data and information openness, accessibility, sharing, etc. This implies proper data documentation, associated data meta-data, data platforms, e-infrastructures, etc. To best reflect GRPs needs and situations, the task force is planning to first assess feasible solutions then define requirements of users and services by conducting questionnaire survey to all GRPs (Figure 1, Table 1).

Figure 1: Project flow of the task force

Table 1

Talks	Descriptions
1. Preparation	Specify the project.
2. Assessment	Find a feasible solution.
3. Survey and adopt data policy	Collect examples of data policies and/or guidelines to adopt.
4. Review	Review solution to continue or terminate the project.
5. Survey	Collect information on all GRPs on their data and willingness to contribute to determine requirements of the service.
5. Development	Develop a service along with data policy

Fortunately there are many existing initiatives that have large experience dealing with all these data related issues: UN data related activities, GEO/GEOSS and the National Space Agencies, the Belmont Forum e-infrastructure, CODATA, WDS, CIESIN, DIAS, etc. The Future Earth Data Task Force has initiated partnerships with all these initiatives in order to join forces, avoid duplication and make the best use of existing research resources. Working closely with these partners Future Earth is identifying best practices that will then be used as the main data principles and data guidelines of that Future Earth will provide as a service to all its members.

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