US National Committee for CODATA Delegation Visit to the Russian National Committee for CODATA Moscow, Russia 11-13 September 2006 Summary Report Members of the US National Committee (USNC) for CODATA Delegation: Bonnie Carroll, US National Delegate to CODATA, USNC for CODATA member, and President, Information International Associates Robert Chen, CODATA Secretary General, ex officio member of the USNC for CODATA, and Interim Director, Center for International Earth Science Information Network, Columbia University Paul Uhlir, Director of the USNC for CODATA, US National Academy of Sciences Purpose of the trip: Discuss possible cooperative activities between the two CODATA Committees and also other potential data cooperation projects in the earth sciences, biodiversity, and energy research. Monday, 11 September Meeting at the Geophysical Center, Department of Earth Sciences, Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) Overview of the Geophysical Center, Alexei Gvishiani, Director There are 9 branches of RAS. The Geophysical Center (GC), in which the Russian National Committee (RNC) for CODATA is located, is under the RAS Department of Earth Sciences. The RNC for CODATA also collaborates with the RAS Department for IT and Computing Systems. Within the Department of Earth Sciences, there are about 20 institutes with approximately 8K employees. The GC has 3 divisions: Complex Data Studies, Data and Network Technologies, and the Laboratory of Electronic Publications. Both of the World Data Centers (WDC-Bs) in Moscow are here (Solar-Terrestrial Physics and Solid Earth Physics). There are 4 other WDCs in Obninsk and one in Gelendzhik. For seismic studies there is a European Mediterranean Seismological Center network in which the RAS seismic center is one node. View Alex Gvishiani’s presentation slides (PDF). The main international activities of the GC include: a Grid computational network, EU Information Society activities, and e-collaborations with the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC) and with universities and research centers in the Confederation of Independent States (CIS) region, the European Union (EU), and the United States. Overview of WDC-B for Solar-Terrestrial Physics and Solid Earth Physics, N. Sergeeva View presentation slides (PDF). Current Projects at the Geophysical Center The Space Physics Interactive Data Resource (SPIDR), a joint distributed data project with the NOAA NGDC and some other countries. See the Web site at http://clust1.wdcb.ru/spidr/index.jsp. Presentation by A. Andreev on the Environmental Scenario Search Engine (ESSE), which is also a data project with NOAA NGDC, funded by Microsoft Research in Cambridge, UK. See the Web site at http://esse.wdcb.ru/project_description.html. Presentation by V.N. Tatarinov, of the GC Geo-ecological Lab, on Prediction of the Tectonic Processes at the Selected Areas for Disposal of Radioactive Waste, which provided an overview of research on safe disposal of high-level radioactive waste, a geodynamic network of GPS measurements, and geo-ecological research in areas of extreme geological disasters (e.g., extreme heavy metal content in the environment of Karabash, with 60K people). View presentation slides (PDF). Presentation by S.A. Lebedev on Progress of Using Satellite Data for Geophysics, with a focus on marine satellite altimetry data, both for global and Caspian Sea research. View presenation slides. Presentation by M. Rodkin on the activities of the Division on Complex Data Studies, with a focus on fuzzy logic, cluster analysis, and discrete mathematical analysis applications. View presentation slides. Presentation by V. Nechitailenko about the Electronic Publishing Laboratory, which has lost a lot of funding since the Gorbachev era and has reduced its activities. It now produces one AGU journal translation and two other Russian earth science journals, as well as some books. Presentation by A. Beriozko on Information Society Technologies (IST) Promotion in Baltic States (TELEBALT). The Coordinator of this project in the EU is the Earth Data Network for Education and Scientific Exchange (EDNES). Meeting with Academician Leonov, Head of the Department of Earth Sciences, RAS We discussed international CODATA and US and Russian CODATA activities. The US participants encouraged greater involvement and support of RNC/CODATA and international CODATA by the RAS, as well as possible joint activities between the US and Russian committees. Meeting at STANDARDTINFORM with Alexander Kozlov, Deputy Director This organization is the Russian federal information collection of technical regulations and standards. There was no cooperative activity identified for follow-up. See the Web site at http://www.gostinfo.ru/en/index1.htm. Tuesday, 12 September Meeting of the Russian National Committee for CODATA See the agenda. Presentation on the RNC/CODATA, Alexei Gvishiani, Chair The RNC/CODATA members represent a broad range of disciplines and organizations, including RAS, university, research institutes, and commercial organizations. They meet once per year. International projects include the GC projects reviewed the day before, such as TELEBALT. Read an overview of the Russian Academy of Sciences Geophysical Center (PDF). View presentation slides on the Russian CODATA National Committees. Overview of Schmidt Institute of Physics of the Earth Academician Alexander Gliko, Director of the Institute See presentation slides (PDF). The Schmidt Institute has cooperative activities with various US organizations such as USGS at Menlo Park, NGDC, the University of Maryland, and UCLA. CODATA Strategic Plan and International Activities Bob Chen, CODATA Secretary General and CIESIN, Columbia University View presentation slides (PDF). Data-related Activities in the U.S. Federal Government Bonnie Carroll, US National Delegate to CODATA, and President of Information International Associates Review Bonnie Carroll’s presentation slides (PDF). USNC/CODATA Overview of Recent Activities and Plans Paul Uhlir, Director of the Committee, U.S. National Academy of Sciences View presentation slides (PDF). Creation and Functioning of the Ukrainian World Data Center Maryna Didkovska, Director (from Ukraine) Review details of Ukrainian World Data Center (PDF). Overview of Physical Science Data Centers and International Chart of Nuclides Project, Tangis Golashvili, Center and Project Director View the International Chart of Nuclides (PDF). Overview of the Electronic Earth Project, Alexander Veselovsky Read Project Overview (PDF) and an overview of the RAS Basic Researches Program. Can Geodynamics Benefit from Satellite Gravity Data? V. Michailov, RAS See GRACE Presentation Slides (PDF). Web-Oriented Informational Systems on Biodiversity and Bioresources on Russia, Varos Petrosyan, RAS See IPEE Presentation slides (PDF). Russian Activities in the International Polar Year (IPY), Evgeny Karin, RAS See presentation slides on IPY (PDF). Discussion of Potential Cooperative Activities
	1)		Vitaly Nechitailenko, the director of the GC Electronic Publications Laboratory, proposed that it could be useful for CODATA to promote the development of a persistent identifier system for scientific data. Persistent identifiers for scientific publications are now very popular (e.g., CrossRef). Some are based on a “handle” system and others on Permanent URLs (PURLs). However, this is not yet very much developed for databases. Why establish persistent identifiers for data? It would enable easier locating of data when the original URL is defunct, help track data uses, and promote availability and use. Differences between the data and literature need to be evaluated, however. For example, databases are more likely to be changed or updated, than the published literature. ICSU has recommended extension of permanent identifiers to data (e.g., registering prefixes and suffixes). Other issues that could be considered include promoting quality through validation and verification of data, standard citation methods, and how to involve developing countries effectively. It therefore might be appropriate to propose creating a CODATA Working Group for consideration at the CODATA General Assembly in Beijing to develop the concept further with other international experts. Need to involve people who know the existing situation with different scientific data and those who have developed persistent identifier systems already. V. Nechitailenko will draft a proposal prior to CODATA Beijing and will share it with the Russian and US CODATA Committees for comment.
	2)		A workshop on strategies for developing permanent scientific information commons in the CIS region will be proposed by the USNC/CODATA for consideration by the RNC/CODATA and other regional CODATA Committees. The meeting could be held in Kiev in fall 2007 or, more likely, in spring 2008. The USNC/CODATA will provide a draft workshop proposal and will send it to the RNC/CODATA and the Ukrainian National Committee for CODATA by mid-October 2006 for further discussion in Beijing in October.
	3)		Paul Uhlir discussed the potential participation of Russia in the Energy Technology Data Exchange. In further discussions on the following day, Alexei Gvishiani of the Geophysical Center and Yuri Arskii of VINITI both agreed to consider a proposal from the US Department of Energy about joining this Energy Technology Data Exchange consortium and to contact the Ministry of Energy and the Oil and Gas Research Institute about such participation.
Wednesday, 13 September Meeting at the Vernadsky Institute for Geochemistry There were several informal presentations and tours given, but no cooperative projects were discussed. Bob Chen provided information on the Earth Institute at Columbia University, including cyberinfrastructure projects dealing with geochemical databases. Meeting at the Geophysical Data Center A final meeting was held with the Center’s Director, Alexei Gvishiani, to discuss the follow-up on the various action items raised during the meetings on the previous two days.