Building on the USGS Tradition of Open Data and Open Science at the Community for Data Integration 2023 Workshop
The 2023 Community for Data Integration workshop showcased numerous examples of USGS Open Data and Open Science. We welcome you to join the community to follow up and keep learning about ways to make our science even more open, accessible, and collaborative.
On May 2, 2023, Community for Data Integration (CDI) members awoke to the sound of songbirds and navigated the forest trails of the National Conservation Training Center, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife facility in Shepherdstown, WV, to begin a four-day, interactive experience at the 2023 CDI Workshop. Nestled along the Potomac River, the location was conducive for bringing our community together (both in-person and virtually) to share our successes, develop new partnerships, and find solutions to common challenges. The workshop theme, “Open Data for Open Science,” inspired productive and interesting conversations around the difference between open data and FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable) data, the importance of USGS Fundamental Science Practices in doing open science, and what it means for science to be equitable.
We were joined by over 190 in-person registrants and over 200 virtual registrants, including 284 first-time CDI workshop participants. We were honored to be joined by USGS Director Dave Applegate, USGS Chief Scientist Geoff Plumlee, and Department of the Interior (DOI) Chief Data Officer Tod Dabolt, who provided insight into the USGS’s and DOI’s thinking on open science. Their presence at the workshop demonstrates their commitment to both the CDI and increasing open science. You can watch or revisit their presentations and answers to questions on the CDI SharePoint (gain access here).
Our CDI members led engaging breakout sessions on topics such as participatory open science, modernizing legacy data, and using Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning (AI/ML). These session leaders made this a truly open and accessible workshop by embracing technologies such as Teams breakout rooms, Slido, and Mural to ensure both in-person and virtual attendees could participate fully. Our only regret is that we couldn’t be in four or five places at once to participate in every session! Fortunately, all the sessions were recorded and are available on the 2023 CDI Workshop SharePoint Site.
Our favorite event was the DataBlast! The DataBlast is the CDI version of the traditional poster session. There were posters, live demonstrations, and a whole lot of great conversations and connections. Can you spot any of our executive leaders in the image below?
During the workshop, we learned that open science is a spectrum, and we are continuously striving to be increasingly open by including more aspects of the open science definition in our work. We have made huge strides in making our science available to all, maintaining security and privacy, and fostering collaborations and reproducibility. However, we recognize areas where we need to further invest in our abilities to broaden understanding, reuse, and application of our science. For example, many of us learned about the CARE principles for Indigenous Data Governance at this workshop. CARE stands for collective benefit, authority to control, responsibility, and ethics, and these principles help to address Indigenous Peoples’ rights and interests. Learning how to incorporate CARE principles into our daily work will help us move the dial toward more open science. Additionally, the community desired more clarity and further information on how to achieve equitable science and data.
The CDI Workshop was an important milestone for the USGS in this Year of Open Science, but there is always more work to do. Here is how you can take part in the Federal Year of Open Science:
- Continue to send us your USGS open science success stories (browse the seven we have posted so far!)
- Join the CDI mailing list to be notified of future training to develop your skills in open science practices
- Be on the lookout for open science tips on the USGS Open Science Website.
We hope you’ll join us for the next CDI monthly webinar on June 14, 2023, review any sessions you may have missed at the workshop, and contribute to the on-going conversations in the CDI Microsoft Teams Channel that help strengthen our contribution to open data and open science!
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