The major global scientific and human challenges of the 21st century (including climate change, sustainable development, disaster risk reduction) can only be addressed through cross-domain research that seeks to understand complex systems through machine-assisted analysis at scale. Our capacity for such analysis is currently constrained by the limitations in our ability to access and combine heterogenous data within and across domains. Attention needs to be paid to the interfaces where data is used between disciplines, but the engagement with key research disciplines around data (re-)usability is essential. To help address these issues, CODATA has been entrusted by the International Science Council (ISC) to develop a Decadal Programme ‘Making Data Work for Cross-Domain Grand Challenges’. The programme will be formally launched at the ISC General Assembly in October 2021 but considerable work is already underway.<br/><br/>The FAIR principles provide guidance for enhancing the value and impact of data within and across domains. The I and the R of FAIR pose particular challenges but are particularly important in addressing complex issues where datasets need to be combined and in enhancing scientific rigour and reproducibility. Consequently, increasing attention is being paid to semantics, the maintenance of referentiable vocabularies, terminologies and ontologies and to metadata profiles—and to tools that facilitate the tracking of provenance and process, or that use variable level metadata and semantics to facilitate data integration.<br/><br/>This presentation will describe the initial work and objectives of the ‘Decadal Programme’ in relation to the FAIR principles. It will encourage discussion and engagement from the chemistry community around FAIR in general and the issues of interoperability and reusability in particular. Colleagues will be invited to participate in collaborative activities to encourage good practice in relation to vocabularies and to explore the potential applicability of metadata solutions to assist data combination and integration.

Making data work for cross-domain grand challenges - global collaboration to apply the FAIR principles

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

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