Dear Colleagues,
I welcome you to this Discussion Forum.
I offer here some Chairman's welcoming remarks.
For anyone that might be in doubt as to the importance of preserving data here are thoughts, recorded with my IUCr close colleague, Brian McMahon (IUCr CODATA Representative) extracted from our article "The record of experimental science: Archiving data with literature" published in the journal Information Services & Use 30 (2010) 31–37, DOI 10.3233/ISU-2010-0609 IOS Press http://iospress.metapress.com/content/f0765625774j4051/ (this is in a special issue of the journal as a written record of a Workshop organised by IUCr as an ICSTI Workshop in Paris in February 2010):-
Many recent studies at national and regional level are raising the level of consciousness amongst legislators and policy makers of the importance of retaining data sets within the record of science. Among the reasons that we would identify as particularly important for science are: to enhance the reproducibility of a scientific experiment; to verify or support the validity of deductions from an experiment; to safeguard against error and against fraud; to allow other scholars to conduct further research based on experiments already conducted; to allow reanalysis at a later date, especially to extract ‘new’ science as new techniques are developed; to provide example materials for teaching and learning; to provide long-term preservation of experimental results and future access to them; and to permit systematic collection for comparative studies. In summary, and perhaps most simply, the purpose of providing access to the data is to enhance the reader’s experience in understanding a piece of research work.
No doubt a wide variety of science cognate to the IUCr's domain will be discussed in this Forum, including in some cases, whether for example every measured scan of data should be imagined as 'the record of science'. Individual Commissions are asked to be clear on what they think is needed for the record of their science. There will be cases where, I am sure your aims are surely to be ambitious, and a sense of urgency exists, but there may seem to be some serious obstacle in the road ahead. This wide ranging Group of experts is not only 'representational' but also here to help you and each other in a constructive way to find practical solutions.
Electronic communication in this Forum will be accompanied by face to face meetings and discussion. Please try to ensure you can attend or send an alternate. Thus I have made a proposal ie involving some financial support to the IUCr Executive Secretary for our next Meeting, as a Workshop, as follows:-
An IUCr DDD WG Workshop to be held in Bergen at ECM2012; Arrival Sunday August 5th 2012; Registration and reception 7pm; 9am to 5pm reports from each Delegate Monday August 6th (nb ECM Opening Ceremony is expected at 6pm approx).
The IUCr's Commissions should aim to reach a clear set of conclusions and practical milestones for each Commission as soon as possible, not least for IUCr, and its own Journals, to remain as recognised exponents in the record of science with all relevant data and thus be a leader with respect to all published literature.
Best wishes and regards,
John
Prof John R Helliwell DSc
Chairman of the IUCr Diffraction Data Deposition Working Group (IUCr DDD WG).