GeoScience and NSF EarthCube Stakeholder Survey Introduction:
Critical research questions in the geosciences can best be addressed by combining data, models, and software tools from multiple sources. The U.S. Office of Science and Technology Policy has mandated that data from federally funded research be openly shared. Important as it is to share data, models, and software, there are many challenges to be addressed. This NSF-sponsored survey is designed to more fully document the challenges and opportunities associated with open data for science.
In order to ensure a robust cyberinfrastructure to support open data in the geosciences, the NSF has launched EarthCube, which is an interdisciplinary initiative to create an integrated data and knowledge management system across the geosciences. This survey is one of several mechanisms designed to understand and inform you and NSF on specific aspects of EarthCube, as well as the more general issues on the sharing and reuse of geoscience data.
This is the third geoscience stakeholder survey. Initial rounds of data collection were conducted in 2012/2013. The results were posted at the EarthCube website, shared in over twenty end-user workshops and related events, included in scholarly research, and proved influential for the NSF. Your participation in this third round of data collection is encouraged – whether or not you completed the earlier surveys, we are interested in your views now. The results from this survey will also be posted on the EarthCube website, shared at future EarthCube workshops and via professional associations, integrated into scholarly research, and shared with the NSF (all preserving confidentiality).
Informed Consent:
Your participation in this survey is voluntary. All of your comments will be confidential and not identified by name. You have the option of not answering any questions and you may stop at any time. Consistent with the university requirements of informed consent for research involving people, we are informing you that we believe this investigation places you at minimal discomfort or risk. It is estimated that it will take approximately 20-25 minutes to complete the survey.
There is a two-step process to ensure confidentiality. First, please indicate below your name, your e-mail address, and your consent to participate. Your name and e-mail address will be stored separately from your responses to the rest of the survey (to preserve confidentiality). Second, you will be automatically connected to the survey, which has a separate database associated with it. Where people have responded to the earlier survey and this one, the responses may be linked, but identifying information will be removed once they are connected. At the end of the survey, you will be asked to name leading organizations relevant to EarthCube – this is entirely voluntary. Consistent with NSF requirements, this data set will be made publically available in the future (data from the first survey is now being made public). When that happens, all information that could reveal individual identities will be removed from the data set, including your answers at the end of the survey about leadership (these will not be made public).
The principal investigator, Dr. Joel Cutcher-Gershenfeld, can answer any questions or concerns you might have about the investigation. He can be reached at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (School of Labor and Employment Relations, 504 East Armory Avenue, Phone: 217-333-1454 or e-mail: joelcg@illinois.edu). If you have additional questions, comments, concerns about your rights as a participant in this research, or if you should wish to voice a complaint about the survey you can contact the Institutional Review Board (IRB), 528 E. Green St. Suite 203, Champaign, IL 61820 (Phone: 217-333-2670) or via email at irb@illinois.edu.
This question requires a valid email address.