The poster about Project MILDRED has accepted and presented on International Data Week 2016 at Denver, CO, USA 11.-17.9.2016.
PDF-version of the poster you can find here: RDA-poster-final-2016-09-01
Edit:
Survey data mentioned in the poster is now available on FigShare: https://figshare.com/articles/Project_MILDRED_Research_Data_Survey/3806394
Following the starting phase data inventory, a MILDRED survey was sent in summer 2016 to all UH researchers in order to chart the current data repository services use situation. The focus was in data created by researchers; data acquisition practices were left out at this point. A delightful amount of 260 answers were gathered. What’s more, all three major disciplinary families, life sciences, humanities and social sciences, and natural sciences, were well represented. 62 % of the participants represented life sciences, 21 % humanities and social sciences and 17 % natural sciences.
The survey consisted of tick box alternatives of repositories followed by open explanation space for reasons for not using a repository. Participants were also asked to elaborate what kind of storage and depositing solutions they had instead of digital repositories. Responses showed that as many as 56 % of the participants did not have their data deposited in any specific digital repository, whereas 43 % used one or more repositories. 21 % had their data in two or more and 10 % in three or more repositories. The most widely used services included e.g. GenBank, Gene Expression Omnibus, GitHub, and Sequence Read Archive, which were each used by more than 10 % of respondents. Among these, code service GitHub is multidisciplinary, whereas the other three maintain and preserve mostly publicly available specific data such as genetic sequences. 4 % of respondents had data in the Finnish Social Sciences Data Archive, and GitHub was frequently represented in responses from the natural sciences.
On the other hand, 68 % of all respondents had data stored also on personal computer hard drive, 58 % on external hard drives, and 54 % on the UH network hard drive. Commercial cloud services such as Dropbox and SugarSync were currently used by 34 % of respondents. 19 % of participants had deposited data on CSC – IT Center for Science Ltd.’s platforms.
Lack of specific knowledge was stated as the most common reason for not using existing digital repositories. Data sensitivity was a crucial issue for 11 % of respondents, and other 11 % did not consider the depositing theme relevant for their field of work. 8 % gave small amounts of produced data as one more reason. 8, 5 % considered repositories generally needless. However, only 4, 6 % of participants explicitly stated that the current university and other existing hard drive resources are sufficient in data management. A wish for information and guidance about depositing possibilities and best practices was frequently expressed.
Anonymised version of the survey report will be shared in Figshare by September 1, 2016.
Warm thanks once more for all survey responses! Knowledge about current research data management practices in the UH forms a valuable framework for further planning of optimal tools and services for supporting the management and use as well as discoverability and shareability of UH research data resources. The work continues.
Primäärilähde:
Salmi, Anna; Ojanen, Mikko; Kuusniemi, Mari Elisa (2016): Project MILDRED Research Data Repository Survey, University of Helsinki. figshare.
https://dx.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3806394.v4
Retrieved: 11 51, Oct 12, 2016 (GMT)
So, how did it all start in the publication and metadata services planning back this June? As a preliminary groundwork, an inventory was conducted of the research data repositories that UH researchers currently use. The sampling of 211 peer-reviewed articles was gleaned from the open access journal family PLOS which requires authors to give a specific data availability statement as an integral part of the article form. The articles had been published in one of the PLOS journals between January 1, 2015 and June 6, 2016. These included PLOS ONE, PLOS Computational Biology, PLOS Genetics, PLOS Medicine, PLOS Neglected Tropical Deseases, and PLOS Pathogenes. A smaller sampling was also gathered using 20 articles in Web of Science and the journal Scientific Reports each. The aim was to compare results from different sources and to identify possible other data repositories that did not appear in the principal PLOS sampling.
Of all the PLOS articles, only five lacked explicit data repositing statement. Of generalist repository services Figshare, Dryad and GitHub appeared in more than two cases. 85 % of all articles shared data partly or completely through Figshare, most commonly in the article’s supporting files with Figshare’s cloud service curation. In addition to this, PLOS offers authors server space for sharing the data by embedding it within the article. Domain-specific repositories such as ArrayExpress, European Nucleotide Archive and Sequence Read Archive appeared in several articles. However, a notable dispersion prevailed, with 29 of all 37 named repositories appearing only once. These other domain-specific repositories included e.g. Cancer Genome Atlas Data Portal, The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, The Natural Resources Institute Finland, and UK Data Archive.
In accordance with the PLOS sharing policy, 45 % of all articles stated to have included all relevant data within the paper and its supporting files and 13 % stated that all data was to be found in the article itself. 23 % of the articles expressly stated to have made all relevant data available. 11 % stated that the data was partly behind restricted access, and all data was restricted or not shareable in only 5 % of the cases.
The inventory formed basis for the research data repository survey sent to researchers later in June and again in the beginning of July. In future, we will use our increasing knowledge about repositing practices and preferences to harvest existing UH data. More news about the inventory and the survey will follow by August. Please stay tuned…
The first MILDRED Newsletter was emailed today. You can read it also below.
The aim of MILDRED is to provide researchers with a state-of-the-art research data infrastructure and design data related services to help researchers of different diciplines. The project try to take into account continually changing needs of the researchers in the diverse community where participants have an influence on results. Secondly, this kind cooperation between various areas of the research e.g. from digital humanities to natural sciences give opportunities to make surprising discoveries and creative insights.
Therefore we invite research to join this user group of the Project MILDRED.
1 What’s going on? Some words about the MILDRED Project and it’s subprojects.
Digitalization of Research Data Services Delivery
This project will start on the autumn. Currently we are preparing the project and collecting pieces of the information. More about this project on autumn.
Data Repository Service
This project is up and running. Currently we are sorting out possible solutions for repository platform and describing use cases for the repository services. Next autumn user group will have a possibility comment these use cases and platform ideas before any decisions.
Data Publishing and Metadata
The project is on the planning phase and the project plan will be ready on the autumn.
Data Storage and Backup
This project is also up and running. Currently we are on starting phase of the project and preliminary discussions about co-operation with CSC has taken place. Other possibilities will be evaluated on autumn and will be based on possible use cases.
Implementation of Data Management Planning Tool – Tuuli
Data management planning tool Tuuli (https://www.dmptuuli.fi/) will help you write data management plans for Academy of Finland, European Commission (Horizon 2020), TEKES, National Institutes of Health and other funders applications. This is the service you can use already.
2. Survey
As a part of the project three, data publishing and metadata services development, a survey was sent to the University of Helsinki researchers before Midsummer about research data repositories currently in use. Reasons for not using a specific repository were also asked.
Delightfully, over 200 answers has been gathered so far. Warm thanks to all who answered! All information about depositing practices and preferences is extremely valuable in planning the future data services.
The survey is still open and all the researchers in the University of Helsinki are welcome to participate. If you haven’t answered but would like to, please visit the survey: https://elomake.helsinki.fi/lomakkeet/71594/lomake.html. The survey will end on 15.7.2016.
3. Autumn 2016
The Project MILDRED will organize on autumn meeting of the user group and you will be invited. More information on August when next user group email will be send. Themes of the meeting are for example use cases, possible research data service ideas and concepts.
4. Have you some points of view you like to say to everybody but don’t know how?
If yes, you can always offer texts to the MILDRED’s blog (https://blogs.helsinki.fi/mildred/). If you have some idea, please don’t hesitate to contact us via email (project-mildred@helsinki.fi).
Have a nice summer and don’t forget to rest!
One small thing is take a few minutes to complete the questionnaire of the Helsinki university library: https://elomake.helsinki.fi/lomakkeet/71594/lomake.html
The survey is about what data repositories and/or archives you currently
use in depositing your data.
It has been asked why it is called “MILDRED”. Good question. Here is the answer.
The story goes this way. As we know, every good project have a name and an abbreviation. The shorter the better.
For example, the Finnish Social Science Data Archive have an excellent data service called “Aila“.
If you like to derive another name from this, you may remember Finnish actress Aila Svedberg who had a role of secretary in a famous radio comedy “Knalli ja sateenvarjo” (originally “The Men from the Ministry” by Edward Taylor and John Graham).
Name of this role was “Mildred Murfin”. This character has mainly positive attitude and energy, even if there is continually something exceptional going on in the office. So, why not use “MILDRED” as the name of the project?
Otherwise, if you like, you can consider the origin of the “MILDRED” as “Multilayered Infrastrucure Lattice for Digitalization of REsearch Data management“. Or something like that 🙂
The Project MILDRED was launched in a kick-off event at the end of April. With MILDRED the University of Helsinki will update its research data infrastructure to provide researchers with a state-of-the-art services.
MILDRED will offer tools and services for supporting the management, use, discoverability and sharing of data.
The kick-off event focused on the goals of the project: Research data management, open science, democratizing the data mining and decision making based on facts and values. MILDRED is about true collaboration.
The event was opened by Vice Rector Keijo Hämäläinen who stated that the paradigm is changing in many fields of science. The cahnge is enabled by digitalization and the open science movement. There is an on-going transformation in how research is performed, researchers collaborate, knowledge is shared, and science is organized. Vice Rector Hämäläinen emphasized that open science is both the top and the middle of the strategy at the University of Helsinki. The university will invest in fostering open science and developing services for researchers.
The University of Helsinki is ranked number one in open science in Finland, but as vice rector Hämäläinen said: “We can become even better”
Keijo Hämäläinen’s opening words
Secretary General Pirjo-Leena Forsström from the Open Science and Research Initiative described how openness is strengthening science and empowering scientists. Forsström also presented so called science accelerator which is based on a process model of the open science.
Professor Mikko Tolonen and Principal Investigator Minna Ruckenstein then discussed open data and the tools for data management in humanities. Ruckenstein characterized the environment where people with different skills can come together and collaborate as the basic need for open research.
Minna Ruckenstein and Mikko Tolonen discussing data management in humanities.
Project Director of Integrated Carbon Observation System Research Infrastructure, ICOS Ari Asmi presented his reasons for being all for open science. Asmi demanded more fact based decisions noting that science is about being open to the critical comments of others. As the saying goes, science without data is only an unsupported hypothesis.
Ari Asmi explaining why he’s for open science.
Chair of the Steering Group of the project, professor Mikko Tolonen, introduced five subprojects of the MILDRED; Digitalization of Research Data Services Delivery, Data Repository Service, Data Publishing and Metadata Service, Data Storage and Backup and Implementation of Data Management Planning Tool – Tuuli. After the introduction participants had a possibility to discuss the project topics in an Open Space session.
As a closing remarks the chair of the steering group encouraged the participants to encage their colleagues who were not able to attend the kick-off, and send the good word around on open science, research data and MILDRED.
The Project MILDRED has a blog and a Yammer-group. MILDRED can be followed on Twitter: @ProjectMildred. News and updates on the project will also be delivered to a mailing list. Please, contact the project service email if you want to join the mailing list. The service email for the project MILDRED is project-mildred@helsinki.fi.
MILDRED encourages all projects, groups, departments, faculties to contact the project team and discuss their data related needs. Project MILDRED can be invited into a project group meeting.
Yes? Great!
The development project – MILDRED – will be launched in kickoff event. Come and learn more about the project and join the user groups!
Date and time: April 29, 2016, from 9.00 am until 12.00
Venue: Runeberg Hall, University of Helsinki Main building, 2nd floor
Programme:
| 9.00 | Coffee | |
| 9.15 | Welcome | Vice Rector Keijo Hämäläinen |
| 9.30 | Open Science and Research Initiative (ATT) | Secretary General, Pirjo-Leena Forsström, CSC |
| 9.40 | Research Data Management in Everyday Life of the Researcher | Principal investigator, Minna Ruckenstein, Consumer Society Research Centre and Professor Mikko Tolonen, Department of Modern Languages |
| 9.55 | I’m For Open Data because… | Project Director Ari Asmi, Integrated Carbon Observation System |
| 10.10 | What is MILDRED? | Professor Mikko Tolonen, The Steering Group Chair |
| Open Space – Digitalization of Research Data Services Delivery – Data Repository Service – Data Publishing and Metadata Service – Data Storage and Backup – Implementation of Data Management Planning Tool – Tuuli |
Senior Adviser in Research Administration, Eeva Nyrövaara, Research Affairs Presentation |
|
| Feedback from Open Space & Next Steps | Project Manager, Ville Tenhunen, IT Center | |
| 11.40 | UH DataSupport & RDM guide & DMPTuuli | Service Director Pälvi Kaiponen, and Information Specialist Mari Elisa Kuusniemi, Helsinki University Library Presentation |
| 11.50 | Closing Remarks | Professor Mikko Tolonen, The Steering Group Chair |
University of Helsinki is updating its research data infrastructure to provide tools and services for supporting the management, use, discoverability and sharing of data, capacity for storage, preservation, computing and processing.
The aim of MILDRED is to provide researchers with a state-of-the-art infrastructure and design data related services to help researchers.
The infrastructure will be developed for and with researchers and user groups are pivotal in the development process and together with national and international parties.
MILDRED include 5 development projects: