[Go-essp-tech] BioTorrents

[Gary Strand]

The requirement that some data be kept restricted for some period of  
time isn't "perceived", it's real. Given the career advancement  
strictures on scientists (publish or perish), some (to be specific)  
model results are "embargoed" until the PIs have had a chance to  
analyze the data and write their papers. Given the collaborative  
nature of these kinds of analyses, scientists 1-N from institutions 1- 
M may be the only ones allowed to access the data for a certain period  
of time. I'd rather not incur the wrath of scientists by making  
everything open as soon as it's created, thus allowing someone else to  
write the landmark paper and beat the PI's to the punch.

Certainly, completely open access at some time is necessary, but there  
are good and solid and reasonable reasons for restricted access.

On Wed Apr 21, 2010, at 3:22 PM, Steve Hankin wrote:

> 2 philosophical cents (well, really a rant, I'll admit):
>
> A remarkable number of the best, easiest, and most powerful ideas  
> are pushed off of our table by a perceived requirement that access  
> to data be restricted.  Elements of this are inevitable.  Still  I  
> believe that we should find much better ways as a data technology  
> community (including our own ESG project) to allow the superior  
> technology options that become available through open access to shine.
>
> At the org-chart level there is a broken system of checks-and- 
> balances.  The requirements for restricted access are imposed down  
> the line in the org chart, without any mechanism for push-back --  
> for explaining to those who impose the restrictions what unintended  
> price is being paid by doing so.  While the org chart relationships  
> tie our hands, the Web as a visible showcase for good ideas can  
> provide the missing force of balance.  We are seeing just this as we  
> weigh BioTorrents against our own solutions.
>
> I wonder if we shouldn't be promoting the (superior) technologies  
> that become available with open access in parallel with the (costly  
> and permanently slower to evolve) secure federated approaches.   
> Clearly access-restricted datasets could not be hosted on the open  
> systems.  But that absence would be precisely the loss that makes  
> the technology cost of restricted access visible.   Building dual- 
> access systems would be an imperfect solution to an imperfect social  
> equation.   But it would allow us to contribute to long-term  
> improvements in dysfunctional policies at the same time that we  
> explore (fun) new technologies.
>
>     - Steve
>
> =========================================
>
> Alex Sim wrote:
>>
>> If we can resolve authorization aspects on the datasets with  
>> torrents,
>> we can probably support torrents technology in the future.  all data
>> access is open in this torrents and most others too.
>>
>> -- Alex
>>
>>
>> On 4/20/10 8:40 AM, V. Balaji wrote:
>>
>>> http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0010071
>>>
>>> It's a great pity we aren't using torrent technology in our field...
>>>
>>>
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>
> -- 
> Steve Hankin, NOAA/PMEL -- Steven.C.Hankin at noaa.gov
> 7600 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115-0070
> ph. (206) 526-6080, FAX (206) 526-6744
>
> "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men
> to do nothing." -- Edmund Burke
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Gary Strand
strandwg at ucar.edu