Peter Burnhill Director, EDINA & Edinburgh University Data Library

1. workshop to review the need for geospatial data services, 19th January 2010 What’s Special About The Spatial?an academic service perspectiveenhancing discoverability & context Peter Burnhill Director, EDINA & Edinburgh University Data Library

2. Overview • The Report • A Big Welcome for focus on the geo-spatial • Context • Forms part of much broader ESRC-led National Data Strategy • ‘geo’ can bring together document and computation traditions of enquiry • JISC/GWG development of academic Spatial Data Infrastructure • Could say more about NERC/MRC; about Mimas/UKDA (ESDS and more) • Present and future present activity • Projects, Services & Infrastructure • A Geospatial Data Advisory Service

3. Report: the Key Messages that are new The changing environment: widespread acceptance that effective use requires a geospatial data framework • catalogues datasets and means of accessing data • EU Inspire Directive and UK Location Strategy are important. Availability of geospatial data: ‘neogeography’ & volunteered geo-information means new users Knowledge/use of geospatial data: is diminishing (according to “Some suppliers of geospatial data”) • Advice/guidance on use of, access to & linking with geospatial data. Key Recommendations • Full potential of geospatial data not being realised by economic and social scientists at the present time. • ESRC should lead to establish, in collaboration with other funding bodies, a Geospatial Resources Advisory Service.

4. Preliminary aside as brief reflection • The Report (and some context/s) • Present and future present • A Geospatial Data Advisory Service? • Advantage of historical perspective • Memories of IUSC & mid-census ESRC RRL Initiative, late 1980s • Has since been end to (‘privileged-only’) access to key geographic data • Key role of Population Census, 1981, 1991 & 2001 • and now 2011? • That academic service perspective …

5. The academy / university perspective Our central task as policy makers and as academic services [nationally or locally] is to ensure ease and continuity of access to [geo-enabled] resources & to help empower researchers [and students & teachers] in their use. … its not all about Google, and YGM are out there, competing for eyeballs!

6. The Report: strategic context (ESRC and beyond) “how social scienceresearch community can take advantage of the emerging plethora ofspatial data sources … to improve the quality of research and more effectively address key research questions.” • One of 14 Actions listed in National Data Strategy • 5 other Actions relevant & others would benefit from geo-enabling • Of the six Strategic Challenges that feature in the ESRC Strategic Plan, five have obvious spatial dimension • Is similar true for other domains of science & scholarship? • Empirical grounding to Report’s conclusions • based on survey of 510 users of ESDS (UKDA/Mimas) + some

7. JISC and JISC-related context • The JISC Strategy had focus on resources for research, with emphasis on research data, altho’ no mention of geospatial NB input to JISC Strategy consultation from EDINA is available • But, in practice, JISC does have good track record of funding geo-spatial projects & services … <about which more later> … and for attempting to place in context of support for an Integrated Information Environment • based on interoperability, web services & open standards • with investigations into how this can inter-work with an academic Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) and • Advice to JISC • GWG Vision, January 2007 [+ Peter Halls’ paper] • Survey of 85 local support staff (1/3rd lecturers or researchers)

8. Context: JISC/ESRC-funded EDINA delivery

9. Significant increase in provision of Geographic data … over past 15 years has enhanced research: • UKBORDERS: digitised boundaries. ESRC project; service since 1994 • Digimap: OS topographic mapping. JISC project; service since 2000 • ease of access to what was formerly affordable only by the few “GIS at [] was almost solely a Geography Dept thing, now it used widely across campus” • Many other services on databases of geographic data • Postcode directory, Landmap satellite data, marine and waterways, etc + gamut of services providing access to geo-spatial data • with and without explicit facility to exploit their ‘geo-spatial-ness’ “the methodology was proven and illustrated with Ordnance Surveyand census data… it has put the UK in the forefront of international research in this field” • Support model based upon institutional responsibility • EDINA/Mimas Site Reps who promote and support their patrons • Plus outreach and advice/support for end users

10. Discover geo-spatial data using Go-Geo! (and unlock) • GoGeo! provides -access point to JISC’s IIE • Only recently launched as JISC service • knowledge of its existence may not yet be widespread • Aims to promote awareness of geospatial data • helps make more (effective) use of increasing datasets • one of few metadata tools that meets INSPIRE/GEMINI2 requirements • could be facility for other agencies to augment in-house data • Recent launch of JISC-funded unlock • geo-coding by extracting placenames from documents • Scope for benefit through programme to geo-enable data • could deliver significant and material strategic benefit

11. Conclusion: what is special about the geospatial? It’s referencing! • That provides linkage to other geo-referenced information and encoded data as well as mapping to base geography • That enables discoverability through enhanced metadata & context for analysis/understanding • To be really useful, it should be really be geo-temporal • Social meaning is given via time&place referencing/context • applies not only to the economic and social sciences. On then, to the Report and its recommendations …

12. Report (rightly) has its focus on Geospatial Data Within an academic Spatial Data Infrastructure • key to unlock benefit from variety of data provision and … on geospatial thematic data (not just geographic) • for research that could & should be enhanced

13. Sidebar remarks • Most geographic and much geospatial data are generated outside the university sector • Long the case for lots of data used as evidence in social science enquiry • OpenData …. Public release of OS mapping data … • Follow Jo Walsh (OKF & EDINA) on http://unlockdata.wordpress.com/ • UK academics have interest in data beyond the UK • Importance of discovery tools (eg GoGeo!) and networks of experts (eg www.iassistdata.org and thematic nodes) • Special role for universities and research councils to curate geo-spatial data over time • Data needed to analyse change over time also has value for supply (back) to policy and commercial research • Geo-spatial mapping & linkage integrates the document tradition [construct stories from documentary sources / direct observation] and the computation tradition [from social arithmetic/statistical inference]

14. Report (rightly) has its focus on Geospatial Data … on thematic data that is geospatial (not just geographic) • for thematic research that could & should be enhanced ... on the claim/finding is that researchers lack awareness • of availability of geospatial data • of how to use geospatial data • Database management skills • Statistical and other analytical techniques • of data quality issues & impact on research results • Key role/significance of (upcoming 2011) Pop. Census

15. Report (rightly) says … • Metadata is critical - that includes geo-referencing • Licensing matters - true even for CC open data! • Need to attend to the Skills [and Awareness] Gap • But less clear on who should be assisted to know what • end-user education and training vs assistance to national & local services vs policy/strategic level • and how to effect the desired change .. So what of Geospatial Resources Advisory Service recommended in the Report?

16. Geospatial Resources Advisory Service • Scope & Remit • Service Criteria • Support Models • Central/single/distributed location? • Existing/new organisation?

17. Geospatial Resources Advisory Service: Scope & Remit • Advising whom? • end-users, other national service providers, infrastructure developers, policy makers, or all of them? • Advising on what? • <draw up your own list> ‘centre of expertise’: should it do more than advise? advocacy, consultancy; geo-enabling; geo-data management; analysis? • Promote geo-enabling? • Using Unlock tools • Promote sharing of geo-spatial data • Using GoGeo! to publish metadata to web; ShareGeo repository • Recommend or procure geospatial data? • How should it work with JISC Collections/ESRC/EduServ? • Interworking with GEES? • And other HE Academy Subject Centres

18. Geospatial Resources Advisory Service: Criteria • Support should be close to need? • a central service should not replace/undermine institutional services/responsibility (view from the GWG) • Support should: • get leverage from existing provision • draw upon critical mass of expertise • engage low-cost (free) contribution from others • Should support • have domain-distributed relevance? • be regional? • How to measure/assess success or failure?

19. Geospatial Resources Advisory Service: Support Models Different approaches to support: • Helpdesk + 2nd line expertise (as per existing data service providers) • Helpdesk + events (eg DCC and JISC advisory services) • Training events from data providers (eg ESRC Census Programme) • High quality training courses, no helpdesk (eg Netskills) • Train the trainers - building data expertise by training librarians / support staff in universities (eg as used in Canada) • Peer2peer network where members help each other, and events (eg DCC Associates Network) • Network of academics who pool for an expert to assist members across the network (eg ESRC-funded Scottish AQMeN)