Peter Arzberger et al, An International Framework to Promote Access to Data, Science 303 (5565), 1777-1778 (19 March 2004). (Access restricted to subscribers.) An international group that studied issues involved in data access reports on issues and obstacles they encountered in the process. The group advised the OECD, resulting in that body's Declaration on Access to Research Data From Public Funding (see Peter Suber's earlier posting.) Excerpt: "Open access to publicly funded data provides greater returns from the public investment in research, generates wealth through downstream commercialization of outputs, and provides decision-makers with facts needed to address complex, often transnational, problems." Among other issues, the group asks how to encourage data-sharing, especially making datasets usable in multiple disciplines, how to improve data access in developing countries, and how public-private research partnerships may have conflicts with making data accessible.
The open access movement:
Putting peer-reviewed scientific and scholarly literature
on the internet. Making it available free of charge and
free of most copyright and licensing restrictions.
Removing the barriers to serious research.
I recommend the OA tracking project (OATP) as the best way to stay on top of new OA developments. You can read the OATP feed on a blog-like web page or subscribe to it by RSS, email, or Twitter. You can also help build the feed by tagging new developments you encounter.
