Global Data for Global Science

This will be the first international gathering of the WDS community; a perfect occasion to launch this ambitious programme and a unique opportunity to share experiences and achievements, and promote the importance of data management and long term data stewardship.

The ICSU World Data System (WDS) was established through a decision of the 29th ICSU General Assembly in October 2008 and is guided by the following strategic vision:

...WDS will support ICSU's mission and objectives, ensuring the long-term stewardship and provision of quality-assessed data and data services to the international science community and other stakeholders.

WDS has committed to advance the universal and equitable access to scientific data and information and to encourage multidisciplinary science. Two dedicated sessions—Data Publication (S7) and Data Intensive Multidisciplinary Sciences (S5)—will strive to address these challenges with a focus on multidisciplinary data in the field of disasters and their impacts on society.

Another pressing challenge facing science is the integration of scientific data from all disciplines, including the social sciences, in order to create an integrated framework for scientists to produce openly accessible scientific knowledge useful to society. This vision guides the transition from isolated data centres and services to a common globally interoperable distributed data system, incorporating emerging technologies and new scientific data activities. The Application of Information Technologies to Data Systems (S6) session will provide an opportunity to highlight scientific and technological advances that could facilitate the achievement of the World Data System.

This conference will inaugurate a series of biennial WDS Conferences which will evolve to provide WDS Members with a discussion forum and a unique platform to participate in the development of the system.

More information is available on the conference website