ad hoc Strategic Committee on Information and Data (SCID)
Background, from SCID Homepage
The nature and use of scientific data and information, the conditions under which scientific data and information are produced, distributed, and managed, and the role of scientists and other actors in these processes have been changing rapidly in recent years. These changes are partly a result of the revolution in computational capacity and connectivity that together have expanded the quality and quantity of research data. They are also related to the emergence of new questions in scientific research that require different types of data. Taken together, these changes are providing scientists throughout the world with more and enhanced access to research data and information. The benefits of this include the growing involvement of scientists in international research projects and increased scientific and policy interest in global scale and comparative research activities.
The Priority Area Assessment (PAA) on Scientific Data and Information (ICSU 2004) includes over 50 recommendations on future needs and priorities. It highlights the importance of professional data and information management and the need to build capacity in this area in all countries; the importance of coordination within the ICSU family and beyond, and the need to modernize or replace existing structures. Its overall conclusion is that there is a need for a new coordinated global approach to scientific data and information. It is recognized that such an approach will require considerable national and international investment but the potential returns in the longer-term are enormous.
The proposed remit for SCID is to oversee the implementation of the key recommendations in the PAA report and in particular those that concern ICSU Interdisciplinary Bodies. A key conclusion of the PAA was that ICSU should foster greater communication, coordination, and collaboration within and across members of the ICSU community and with other partners on issues, practices and structures for scientific data management. A multi-stakeholder Scientific Data and Information Forum (SciDIF) was proposed as a mechanism to achieve this.
