Climategate demonstrated what can go wrong when a few misguided scientists take control of data and keep it from the public. Now there’s a movement afoot to make open access to data and research papers a law.
Congress takes another stride toward public access to research
Federal Research Public Access Act introduced in the House of Representatives
Washington, DC – Fueling the growing momentum toward openness, transparency, and accessibility to publicly funded information, the Federal Research Public Access Act of 2010 (FRPAA) has been introduced today in the U.S. House of Representatives by Rep. Mike Doyle (D-PA) and a bi-partisan host of co-sponsors. The proposed bill would build on the success of the first U.S. mandate for public access to the published results of publicly funded research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and require federal agencies with annual extramural research budgets of $100 million or more to provide the public with online access to research manuscripts stemming from funded research no later than six months after publication in a peer-reviewed journal.
“Free and open access to scientific literature and data are the underpinnings of discovery in the digital age,” said Stephen Friend MD PhD, President and Co-Founder of Sage Bionetworks. “Full collaboration among researchers is essential, and we have the power now to communicate, collaborate, and innovate in ways that were previously unimaginable. I applaud the sponsors of the Federal Research Public Access Act for their commitment to ensuring the kind of access scientists need to make progress on improved disease treatments and diagnostics in the digital world.”
Like the Senate bill introduced in 2009 by Senators Lieberman (I-CT) and Cornyn (R-TX), H.R. 5037 would unlock unclassified research funded by agencies including: Department of Agriculture, Department of Commerce, Department of Defense, Department of Education, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Transportation, Environmental Protection Agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the National Science Foundation.
H.R. 5037 follows closely on the heels of a recent expression of interest in public access policies from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, which issued a request for public comment on mechanisms that would leverage federal investments in scientific research and increase access to information that promises to stimulate scientific and technological innovation and competitiveness.
“This bill recognizes the urgent need – and opportunity – to use digital technology to increase the pace of innovation,” added Elliot Schwartz, Vice President for Economic Studies at the Committee for Economic Development. “The bill is a crucial, welcome move toward advancing research through openness and avoiding making the taxpayer pay twice for taxpayer-funded research… it is good public policy.”
The introduction of H.R. 5037 was also welcomed by leaders in the higher education community, who recognize this legislation helps to ensure the United States is positioned to continue to fuel education and innovation.
“Conducting critical research that enriches and improves lives has always been a key mission of universities in this country, including Ohio State,” said E. Gordon Gee, president of The Ohio State University. “Disseminating the knowledge gained from that research is an equally important part of our institutions’ public purpose. The Federal Research Public Access Act will further spread new knowledge, and it has my full support.”
“Advancing research is at the core of the mission of higher education, and broadening access to the scholarly record is a critical step in helping research to advance to its fullest potential,” added Karen Hanson, Provost and Executive Vice President, Indiana University. “The current system for exchanging the results of research is deeply flawed, and major changes – like this bill – are required. I welcome the introduction of the Federal Research Public Access Act.”
The Alliance for Taxpayer Access thanks and congratulates Representative Doyle and all of the bill’s co-sponsors for championing this pivotal legislation, and calls on organizations and individuals to write in support of the bill through the Web site at http://www.taxpayeraccess.org.
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…and, last but not least, wait for a big tsunami of “undoubtful” adjusted data, which will consequently prove “beyond shadow of doubt” how real is Climate Change, so those who oppose these “scientific proofs” (post-normal-ethical-uncertain-science, of course) are despicable stubborn deniers, politically biased, who are a real menace for the welfare of the mankind and, consequently, are endangering democracy and freedom, and , being their actions, evidently against nature and human rights, they should be considered as prosecutable by the International Crime Court.
http://www.icc-cpi.int/Menus/ICC/Home
All government data “classified”, problem solved.
I find it strange that an act of congress is required to make the results of publicly funded research available to the public that funded it.
Certainly if the research is free and transparent for citizens, then it will also be free and transparent for non-citizens. What’s the point of making a national investment in R&D if any other country can freely benefit from the results? How does that help the US gain a competitive advantage? Or is this just another feel good government “fix” to a problem they created, which will only make the problem worse? I am speaking of course about real research that has actual economic value, so maybe we can make some kind of exception for climate science.
I wish it were immediate, not after six months, but it is a step in the right direction. Let’s hope it passes and becomes law.
This has got to be a step in the right direction. If the public is paying the public has a right to access. Public institutions have an obligation to make its information available to the owners, the tax payers. Nice sounding words we can all agree with. As always the devil is in the details. I learned many years ago, in my association with senior civil servants, they believe they have a right or claim on both the tax dollars in their budgets and the associated trappings of office. I strongly suspect this is a universal attitude but my sample is limited to only about a dozen countries. One gets the feeling this is part of the job description.
Like all question this one has many sides. My test is when none find it fully acceptable it must be on the right track.
Perhaps this is what we might term “Post Normal Science”. It certainly isn’t normal to share like this. Maybe we will hear from Dr Ravetz
The thing lacking is a requirement that the data gathered–all of it–be delivered to the funding source and be made available to the public.
“Advancing research is at the core of the mission of higher education, and broadening access to the scholarly record is a critical step in helping research to advance to its fullest potential,” added Karen Hanson, Provost and Executive Vice President, Indiana University. “The current system for exchanging the results of research is deeply flawed, and major changes – like this bill – are required. I welcome the introduction of the Federal Research Public Access Act.”
Proactive comment:
Resources are the biggest issue related to confirmation of results (assuming the basis of the data is actually documented and also available).
The SETI project introduced Wide Area computing to crunch the massive data set and the public supported the effort. Is there any reason this couldn’t be implemented to support Peer Review efforts from a community like WUWT on behalf of the Science community?
If the concern is that someone may choose to skew results from wide area computing, I’ve got a couple of computers I’d be happy to donate to the cause. An array of old Mac computers configured in an array delivers a great super computer. A trick used by many University Research Labs.
Making Public resources available to the Science community at large could be a great first step to eliminating skewed Politically driven “Science”?
It’s about time the taxpayer found out where all this money is going to study global warming. What will be the ultimate eye-opener is how much research money goes towards manmade gw as opposed to natural gw. What do you think the ratio is: 2-1, 5-1, 20-1, 50-1? My guess is 853-1. And the winner is?
Next, I suggest that Congress require for all future wind turbine projects (a) electric meters be installed to measure how much power is being USED, and (b) an embodied energy or EROEI analysis be submitted to prove its viability. These two things would conclusively prove the tremendous waste of energy and resources associated with wind power. I calculate the EROEI of wind turbine facilities at 0.24, which is worse than solar at 0.48. Anything less than 1 is a loss.
This will never see the light of day. Too many entrenched economic interests, from all quadrants of the political spectrum, utilize the system as it is to advance their specific agendas. Our representatives don’t have the will to resist the onslaught of lobbyists who no doubt will be busy on this one!
What an insane world? I can’t believe they need to make laws to get data out in the open. As a scientist I would be thrilled if someone cared enough about what I was doing to ask for my data. That would be a sign to me that my work was appreciated and important.
Also, the great thing about data is that they are never wrong. Your analysis might be, but not your data. Unless it has been ‘adjusted’ to fit a deeply held paradigm, in which case you better keep it out of others hands.