Report of the Data Sharing Task Force: Implementation Guidelines for GEOSS Data Sharing Principles

1. Report of the Data Sharing Task ForceAlan EdwardsCo-chair/European CommissionOn behalf of the Data Sharing Task Force19th Meeting of the GEO Executive Committee Geneva, Switzerland15-16 July 2010

2. The GEOSS 10-Year Implementation Plan states: The societal benefits of Earth observations cannot be achieved without data sharing. There will be full and open exchange of data, metadata and products shared within GEOSS, recognizing relevant international instruments and national policies and legislation. All shared data, metadata and products will be made available with minimum time delay and at minimum cost. All shared data, metadata and products being free of charge or no more than cost of reproduction will be encouraged for research and education. GEOSS Data Sharing Principles

3. GEOSS Data Sharing Task Force To reinforce the principle of data sharing within the GEOSS, the 2007 Cape Town Ministerial Summit recognised that: “The success of GEOSS will depend on a commitment by all GEO partners to work together to ensure timely, global and open access todata and products”. Further: “We support the establishment of a process with the objective to reach a consensus on the implementation of the Data Sharing Principles for GEOSS to be presented to the next GEO Ministerial Summit (2010).” The 2008 GEO-V Plenary in Bucharest then established the GEOSS Data Sharing Task Force (DSTF).

4. Implementation Guidelinesfor the GEOSS Data Sharing Principles • Accepted by the GEO-VI Plenary, Washington D.C., Nov. 2009 • Promoting implementation of the principle of full and open exchange of data according to GEOSS Data Sharing Principles (DSP). • Enabling GEOSS users to reuse and re-disseminate shared data, metadata and products. • Ensuring consistency in the implementation of the GEOSS DSP with relevant international instruments and national policies and legislation. • Implementing pricing policies consistent with GEOSS DSP. • Reducing time delays for making data available through GEOSS. • Promoting research & education uses of GEOSS data, metadata and products.

5. Data Sharing Implementation Guidelines • Note: in the context of the GEOSS DSP, the GEO-VI Plenary when endorsing the Implementation Guidelines accepted that: full and open exchange means: “that data and information made available through the GEOSS are made accessible with minimal time delay and as few restrictions as possible, on a nondiscriminatory basis, at minimum cost for no more than the cost of reproduction and distribution”. Also note: This does not preclude the registration of and subsequent access to data in the GEOSS that is not “fully and openly exchangeable”. slide 5

6. DSTF Terms of Reference: Objectives (selected) Prepare an Action Planto implement the Data Sharing Principles and toenable the development of working proceduresfor data sharing within GEOSS. Produce documentation(including assessments on the actions to be taken; some representative costs and benefits; and responsibilities for the proposed data sharing processes). Leading to adoption of the Implementation Guidelines and the Action Planby the 2010 GEO Ministerial Summit.

7. Action Plan - Current Framework Executive Summary Main body of the Action Plan Introduction – why share data fully and openly? Background – what is the status of GEOSS data sharing today? Vision – where do we want to be and by when? What are the benefits of implementing this vision? What are the barriers to implementing this vision? What actions need to be taken? slide 7

8. Action Plan - Current Framework Annexes: Supporting Documents Implementation Guidelines for the GEOSS DSP Benefits of Implementing the Data Sharing Principles Considerations for the GEO Community Considerations Arising from the Data Sharing Action Plan for the GCI– now a complete document Glossary: Definitions, Sources, References Case Studies ARGO Floats ASTER Global Digital Elevation Model CBERS Satellite Imagery Forest Carbon Tracking Global Biodiversity Information Facility International Polar Year Landsat slide 8

9. Proposed Data Sharing Action Plan for GEO • builds upon the crucial concept of the full and open exchange and on the Implementation Guidelines accepted by the GEO Plenary; (B) notes that the achievement of full and open exchange of and access to key datasets will require actions by GEO collectively, by Members and Participating Organizations individually, and by GEOSS tasks and cross-cutting activities; (C) specifies 8 actions to be pursued.

10. Currently Proposed Data Sharing Actions (draft) - GEO collectivelyto: ACTION 1: Create the GEOSS Data Collection of (Full and) Open Resources for Everyone (GEOSS Data CORE) to address GEO Societal Benefit Areas. The GEOSS Data CORE is a distributed pool of documented datasets, contributed by the GEO community on the basis of full and open unrestricted access and at no more than the cost of reproduction and distribution.

11. Currently Proposed Data Sharing Actions (draft) - GEO collectivelyto: Action 2: Establish a Task Force within GEO • Monitor the use and impact of resources made available with full and open access. • Promote the efficacy of the Data Sharing Principles in delivering societal benefits. • Evaluate the outcomes of this Action Plan and recommend further actions, particularly in liaison with GEO Committees; Action 3: Maintain the GEOSS Common Infrastructure Action 4: Integrate implementation of the Data Sharing Principles, as appropriate, into the activitiesof GEO Work Plan Tasks and GEO Committees.

12. Currently Proposed Data Sharing Actions (draft) - GEO Membersto: Action 5: Take leadership to establish national coordinating mechanisms Action 6: Develop flexible policy frameworks

13. Currently Proposed Data Sharing Actions (draft) - GEO Members & Participating Organizationsto: • Maximise the number of documented datasets made available on the basis of full and open access. NEW: When no information about usage rights and restrictions is provided, the presumption within GEOSS will be that the data are fully and openly available with no restrictions on use and dissemination. 8. Promote the benefits of full and open access to data

14. Issues Addressed: Handling data with restrictions • The Implementation Guidelines confirm that: “GEO welcomes all data contributions into the GEOSS. When registering data in GEOSS, the contributor should present any restrictions arising from relevant international instruments and national policies and legislation, and the duration of each restriction, that is applicable to the exchange of the data, metadata, and productssubmitted.” - Action 3: Using the GCI to help implementing the DSP. Based on the explanatory metadata provided, users should be able to discover the GEOSS resources, and any details on restrictions applicable to the use of the associated data, products and information, via the GEO Web Portal in a user friendly manner, enabling them to make informed choices about the data to be used.

15. Issues Addressed: Handling data with restrictions - Action 3: Using the GCI to help implementing the DSP. The GCI’s minimum capability should be to provide information to enable users to understand usage requirements and restrictions indicated by the data provider. Where restrictions are shown, then as appropriate, the GCI should refer the user to the data source or owner to obtain any necessary permission directly. - Action 7: Maximise the number of datasets made available. If useful and appropriate for informing data providers and users, the GEOSS could point to machine readable licenses or waivers of usage rights to facilitate automated access and reduce the burden on users to complete one or more license agreements.

16. Issues Addressed: Handling data with restrictions - Action 3: Using the GCI to help implementing the DSP. Categorization of Data Access Conditions To meet this challenge GEO will need to agree on descriptions and/or simple categorizations of data access conditions, e.g.: • full and open with no restrictions and free of charge; • full and open with only attribution requirements and free of charge; • full and open with attribution and non-commercial, societal benefit use requirements and free of charge; • full and open with no restrictions; • full and open with only attribution requirements; • full and open with attribution and non-commercial, societal benefit use requirements; • other terms and conditions (including custom licenses and cost recovery above the cost of reproduction and distribution).

17. Issues Addressed: User registration - Action 3: Using the GCI to help implement the DSP. In the context of full and open exchange of data and information, the requirement from a data provider of user registration should not in itself be considered a restriction. GEO Members and PO should (therefore) encourage and support the development of coordinated registration of GEOSS users, working with the GCI and other GEOSS elements as needed. It is recommended that such user registration be the “lightest” implementation possible, requiring the user to register only once and to provide at the time of registration only that information necessary to comply with most data provider “user log-in” requirements. User registration is useful for monitoring usage of the GEOSS portal and the data made available through it. These metrics are needed on an ongoing basis both to improve effectiveness & efficiency, and to inform GEOSS improvements.

18. Issues Addressed: Data Tagging - Action 3: Using the GCI to help implement the DSP. The expression “data-tagging” is open to a wide range of interpretations and implementations, but in itself it means no more than attaching information to data to describe some of its characteristics, to meet a particular purpose. Developing data tagging procedures and standards for citation tracking and securing international agreement for their use in the peer-reviewed literature is an issue that is being addressed by a number of bodies at the present time. GEO should work in concert with these groups.

19. Supporting Documents Definitions, Sources, References Used Within Implementation Guidelines for the GEOSS Data Sharing Principles 1) ATTRIBUTION; 2) CAPACITY BUILDING; 3) CITATION; 4) DATA; 5) DATA DEMOCRACY; 6) DEVELOPING COUNTRY; 7) EDUCATION; 8) FAIR USE; 9) FREE AND UNRESTRICTED 10) FULL AND OPEN; 11) INFORMATION 12) LIABILITY; 13) PUBLIC GOOD; 14) PUBLIC INTEREST; 15) PUBLICLY FUNDED 16) REDISTRIBUTION; 17) RESEARCH; 18) RESEARCH DATA FROM PUBLIC FUNDING

20. The Data Sharing Action Plan: Next Steps • The Data Sharing Task Force asks the Executive Committee to instruct the GEO Secretariat to send this draft of the GEOSS Data Sharing Action Plan and supporting Documents out for official government review, with a deadline for comments of 27 August 2010. • Based upon the comments received, the DSTF will then update the draft GEOSS Data Sharing Action Plan and Supporting Documents during the first half of September, in readiness for submission of these documents to the GEO-VII plenary and the 2010 GEO Ministerial Summit.