Chuck Humphrey, Alberta Research Data Centre Canadian RDC Report Where are we now?

Victoria Sudbury Laval McGill Sherbrooke UQAM COOL Queens Western Manitoba BCIRDC Prairie Alberta SWORDC McMaster Toronto CRISP CIQSS Atlantic Centres in first CFI application Provincial funds leveraged by first CFI application

COOL Queens Western Manitoba BCIRDC Prairie Alberta SWORDC McMaster Toronto CRISP CIQSS Atlantic Victoria Sudbury Laval McGill Sherbrooke UQAM

Outline RDC Project status An e-Science framework for our RDC project Information flow for managing RDC operations Making metadata sustainable

RDC project status Phase I RFP is ready to go to bid Two projects Production of metadata for 100 survey titles Develop tools to create metadata for virtual data files Phase II RFP developed in Fall 2008 One project Develop metadata analysis tools for making comparisons This includes instances of searching (1) for comparable variables within ongoing surveys across multiple cycles, (2) for similar variables across different surveys, (3) for variables employing the use of thesauri and concept registers, and (4) for varying ways of representing conceptual relationships among variables.

Why use the e-science framework? U.S. (cyberinfrastructure) and European (e- science) funding envelopes have been established to provide access to global science resources. The e-science framework provides a reporting structure to the Canadian Foundation for Innovation on our progress. The e-science framework positions the RDC Network within the larger infrastructure of other sciences.

Virtual Community Network Grid Scientific Data Virtual Community Network Grid Scientific Data Virtual Laboratories Workspace Meetings, experiments, etc. Virtual Community Network Grid Scientific Data Virtual Laboratories Workspace Meetings, experiments, etc. Virtual Laboratories Workspace Meetings, experiments, etc. Network Grid Scientific Data Economies of Scale Efficiency Gains Global virtual research community Source: Ulf Dahlsten, Building a global virtual research community, at the International Data Forum, Beijing, June 7, 2007

RDC Infrastructural Architecture National Optical Research Network RDC lightpath / APN Middleware DDI Foundation Tools Data & Metadata RDC Virtual Project RDC Virtual Project RDC Virtual Project RDC Virtual Project RDC Virtual Project RDC Virtual Project

RDC Infrastructural Architecture National Optical Research Network RDC lightpath / APN Middleware DDI Foundation Tools Data & Metadata RDC Virtual Project RDC Virtual Project RDC Virtual Project RDC Virtual Project RDC Virtual Project RDC Virtual Project

Service-oriented information architecture See: Foster, Ian (2005). Service-oriented information architecture. Science, 308: This method is based on networks of loosely coupled information services structured as a system. Fundamental to the interoperability of services-oriented architecture are standards and protocols. Metadata enable the interoperability.

Metadata enabled interoperability The metadata in the RDC project serve as the source for building services. The metadata come from the stages in the life cycle of RDC virtual projects. Project Application Project Approval Project Creation Access to Data Generate Analysis Files Output Disclosure Analysis Research Commun- icatons Stages in the life cycle

Information package for managing RDC projects Application processes Managing RDC Projects Contract process Project account process Master files Managing Data Work/analysis files File system backups Disclosure process Managing Research Outputs Publications Knowledge management Project Application Project Approval Project Creation

Information package for managing RDC data Application processes Managing RDC Projects Contract process Project account process Master files Managing Data Work/analysis files File system backups Disclosure process Managing Research Outputs Publications Knowledge management Access to Data Generate Analysis Files

Information package for managing research outputs Application processes Managing RDC Projects Contract process Project account process Master files Managing Data Work/analysis files File system backups Disclosure process Managing Research Outputs Publications Knowledge management Output Disclosure Analysis Research Commun- icatons

Factors in Sustainability Persuade data producers to provide their metadata in DDI 3.0 Statistics Canada has an internal working group exploring the production of DDI metadata Increase the widespread adoption of the metadata in practice Other Canadian initiatives producing DDI metadata, e.g., the Ontario College and University Libraries ODESI project Expand the return on the costs of producing metadata by generating new uses of the metadata International interest in developing tools for mining DDI metadata for comparative purposes