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Daily Archives: May 6, 2015

ARL Joins Hague Declaration for Changes to Intellectual Property Law, Equal Access to Knowledge

ARL – “More than 50 organizations around the world—including ARL—have signed the Hague Declaration on Knowledge Discovery in the Digital Age, which calls for immediate changes to intellectual property (IP) law and the removal of other barriers preventing widened and more equal access to data. Improved treatments for diseases, answers to global issues such as climate change, and billions in government savings are among the potential benefits to be gained, if the principles outlined in the Hague Declaration are adopted by governments, businesses, and society. The declaration asserts that copyright was never designed to regulate the sharing of facts, data, and ideas—nor should it. The right to receive and impart information and ideas is guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights but the modern application of IP law often limits this right, even when these most simple building blocks of knowledge are used. “The rapidly changing digital environment, increased computing power, and the sheer quantity of data being produced make it essential for researchers and society to be able to use modern techniques and tools to help them make new discoveries. Research practices could be revolutionized and lives could literally be saved, if we can achieve better access to the knowledge contained within big data,” said Kristiina Hormia-Poutanen, president of LIBER, the Association of European Research Libraries, which has led work to develop the declaration. A new approach to knowledge discovery is critical at a time when society is facing a literal data deluge. The digital universe, or the data we create and copy annually, is doubling in size every two years and is expected to reach 44 trillion gigabytes by 2020. In addition to clarity around the scope of IP law, a skills gap and a lack of infrastructure must also be addressed if computers are to be better employed to extract and recombine data in order to identify patterns and trends. This process, known as content mining, is widely recognized as the only way to deal effectively with big data…”

Overcoming Barriers to Data Sharing in Public Health A Global Perspective

Research Paper – Jussi Sane and Michael Edelstein – Centre on Global Health Security | April 2015 •”The interaction between barriers to data sharing in public health is complex, and single solutions to single barriers are unlikely to be successful. Political, economic and legal obstacles will be the most challenging to overcome. •Public health data… Continue Reading

From Institutions to Financial Development and Growth: What are the Links?

Fernàndez, Andrés and Tamayo, César E., From Institutions to Financial Development and Growth: What are the Links? (March 2015). IDB Working Paper No. IDB-WP-565. Available for download at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2603124 “This paper presents an integrated overview of the literature linking institutions, financial development and economic growth. From the large body of research on institutional development,… Continue Reading

NOAA Trends in Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide – All Time High

“The graph shows recent monthly mean carbon dioxide globally averaged over marine surface sites. The Global Monitoring Division of NOAA/Earth System Research Laboratory has measured carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases for several decades at a globally distributed network of air sampling sites [Conway, 1994]. A global average is constructed by first fitting a smoothed… Continue Reading

GAO – Missile Defense – Opportunities Exist to Reduce Acquisition Risk and Improve Reporting on System Capabilities

Missile Defense: Opportunities Exist to Reduce Acquisition Risk and Improve Reporting on System Capabilities, GAO-15-345: Published: May 6, 2015. Publicly Released: May 6, 2015. “In fiscal year 2014, the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) made some progress in achieving its testing and delivery goals for individual elements of the Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS), but was… Continue Reading

What Every Librarian Needs to Know About HTTPS

EFF – “Librarians have long understood that to provide access to knowledge it is crucial to protect their patrons’ privacy. Books can provide information that is deeply unpopular. As a result, local communities and governments sometimes try to ban the most objectionable ones. Librarians rightly see it as their duty to preserve access to books,… Continue Reading

EIA’s CBECS – nation’s only comprehensive survey of commercial buildings

“The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS) is the only nationally representative source of statistical information on energy-related characteristics, consumption, and expenditures for the nation’s 5.6 million commercial buildings totaling 87 billion square feet of floor space. Building characteristics information from the 2012 survey is being released in stages through the… Continue Reading

CRS – An Introduction to Health Insurance: What Should a Consumer Know?

An Introduction to Health Insurance: What Should a Consumer Know? Carol Rapaport, Analyst in Health Care Financing. April 30, 2015. “Congress has seen a renewed interest in the market for private health insurance since the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA; P.L. 111-148, as amended). This report provides an overview of… Continue Reading

CRS – Saudi Arabia: Background and U.S. Relations

Saudi Arabia: Background and U.S. Relations, Christopher M. Blanchard, Specialist in Middle Eastern Affairs. April 29, 2015. “The kingdom of Saudi Arabia, ruled by the Al Saud family since its founding in 1932, wields significant global political and economic influence through its administration of the birthplace of the Islamic faith and by virtue of its… Continue Reading

Defense Acquisitions: How and Where DOD Spends Its Contracting Dollar

CRS Report – Defense Acquisitions: How and Where DOD Spends Its Contracting Dollars. Moshe Schwartz, Specialist in Defense Acquisition; Wendy Ginsberg, Analyst in American National Government, John F. Sargent Jr.Specialist in Science and Technology Policy. April 30, 2015. “The Department of Defense (DOD) has long relied on contractors to provide the U.S. military with a… Continue Reading

How Is NOAA Preparing for Future Oil Spills?

NOAA: “Crude oil production from North Dakota’s Bakken region has more than quadrupled [PDF] since 2010, and responders must be prepared for spills involving this lighter oil (note: not all oils are the same). Bakken crude oil is highly flammable and evaporates quickly in the open air. Knowing the chemistry of this oil can help… Continue Reading