In the digital age, data is the raw material on which discoveries are built. Data plays a central role in our ability to predict and counter natural disasters, understand human biology, and develop advances in computing technology. Whether in the Life Sciences or the Social Sciences, unfettered access to research data is crucial to accelerating progress in research.
Despite its tremendous importance, research data still remains largely fragmented—isolated across millions of individual computers, blocked by technical, legal, and financial restrictions.
The amount of scientific and scholarly data grows exponentially each year, yet we still lack the infrastructure, policies, and practices to harness this vital resource. While some high profile projects—such as the Human Genome Project and the Large Hadron Collider—make their data openly accessible, too often data isn’t shared beyond those who generate it. The Internet was built by researchers to share data, but data sharing isn’t yet the norm in research.
Text Adapted from Setting the Default to Open, by SPARC Europe used under a CC-BY License.
To understand what is meant by open data, start by watching this quick video introduction.
To learn more about open data, review:
