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Monthly Archives: August 2015

NISO Launches New Primer Series with the Publication of Primer on Research Data Management

“The National Information Standards Organization (NISO) has launched a new Primer Series on information management technology issues with the publication of the first primer on the topic of Research Data Management. Two more primers on the topics of Understanding Metadata and Linked Data for Cultural Institutions, respectively, will be released in coming months, with additional Primers to be published periodically.  The primer on Research Data Management provides an overview of how data management has changed in recent years, and outlines best practices for the collection, documentation, and preservation of research data. The importance of creating a data management plan (DMP) before beginning a research data project is emphasized. Crucial questions regarding how the data will be managed are answered ahead of time in a DMP, thus making it easier for the researcher to collect and document the data properly for future use and reuse. Creating research data that is easily reproducible and transparent is the ultimate goal, and following the guidelines in this primer can help educate researchers to ensure their data is available for others. The differences between publishing papers and publishing datasets and the citation challenges the data community are working on solving are also discussed.  “Research in all domains is seeing an increasing prevalence of data-driven research and an influx of diverse data sources and analysis methods,” says Carly Strasser, author of this primer. “Data management is therefore an emerging concern for researchers. This primer provides a high-level overview of research data management, and is intended to be useful across domains.” This primer on Research Data Management and the forthcoming primers on Understanding Metadata and Linked Data for Cultural Institutions are introductory documents on these important topics relating to information management for those new to our community, or for those who just need a summary understanding of these issues. The NISO Primer series will be freely available and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons-BY-NC 4.0 license. “Meant to provide insight and instruction to researchers collecting data, these primers discuss the latest developments in research data and the new tools, best practices, and resources now available,” says Todd Carpenter, NISO Executive Director. “Providing basic information to the wider community about NISO’s activities is a critical component of our work as an organization. We seek to serve not only those who are deeply versed with technology in our community, but those who are starting out as well.” The NISO Primer on Research Data Management is available as a free download from the NISO website at: http://www.niso.org/publications/press/researchdata/

Research Handbook on the Economics of Insurance Law: Introduction

Schwarcz, Daniel and Siegelman, Peter, Research Handbook on the Economics of Insurance Law: Introduction (August 21, 2015). Forthcoming in Research Handbook in the Economics of Insurance Law (Edw. Elgar: 2015). Available for download at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2649078 “This introduction summarizes the overall scope of the Handbook and provides brief synopses of the 14 contributions.” Continue Reading

GAO Report – Next Generation Air Transportation System

Next Generation Air Transportation System: Improved Risk Analysis Could Strengthen FAA’s Global Interoperability Efforts, GAO-15-608: Published: Jul 29, 2015. Publicly Released: Aug 28, 2015: “Aviation industry stakeholders GAO interviewed described various factors that may affect the interoperability of the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen)—a complex, long-term initiative to modernize the U.S. air-traffic management (ATM)… Continue Reading

EFF amicus brief in SCOTUS case on seizure of historical cell site records from a cell phone provider

EFF – “Americans have the right to expect that digital records of their daily travels—when they left home, where they went, and how long they stayed—is private information, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) said in an amicus brief filed with the Supreme Court of the United States. Weighing in on one of the most important… Continue Reading

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

The Weight of the World Can Christiana Figueres persuade humanity to save itself? By Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker: “…The Framework Convention on Climate Change is overseen by an organization known as the Secretariat, which is led by a Costa Rican named Christiana Figueres…of all the jobs in the world, Figueres’s may possess the very… Continue Reading

2013 Manufacturing and International Trade Report

“This report from the U.S. Census Bureau provides a comprehensive comparison between detailed manufacturing product class data and associated import and export data. The data are published on a North American Industry Classification System basis from the 2012 Economic Census Subject Series and the 2013 Annual Survey of Manufactures, presented with official U.S. export and… Continue Reading

GAO Reports – Federal Low-Income Programs, VA Health Care, Weapon System Acquisitions, Regionally Aligned Forces

Federal Low-Income Programs: Multiple Programs Target Diverse Populations and Needs, GAO-15-516: Published: Jul 30, 2015. Publicly Released: Aug 31, 2015. VA Health Care: Actions Needed to Assess Decrease in Root Cause Analyses of Adverse Events, GAO-15-643: Published: Jul 29, 2015. Publicly Released: Aug 28, 2015 Weapon System Acquisitions: Opportunities Exist to Improve the Department of… Continue Reading

New on LLRX – Underfunded Omaha libraries. National digital library endowment, anyone?

Via LLRX.com – In Warren Buffett’s own backyard: Underfunded Omaha libraries. National digital library endowment, anyone? – David Rothman calls out an increasingly pervasive dichotomy of action by some of America’s wealthiest corporate philanthropists in regard to supporting libraries, literacy and equal access to comprehensive public library collections. As Rothman documents, Omaha Public Libraries’ spending… Continue Reading

New Yorker – How Methods Videos Are Making Science Smarter

Jamie Holmes: “..[The] Journal of Visualized Experiments…[f]ounded in 2006, JOVE now has a database of more than four thousand videos, with about eighty more added each month. They are usually between ten and fifteen minutes long, and they range in subject from biology and chemistry to neuroscience and medicine. “For a scientist trying to explain… Continue Reading

Bitcoin and the Uniform Commercial Code

Schroeder, Jeanne L., Bitcoin and the Uniform Commercial Code (August 22, 2015). Available for download at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2649441 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2649441 “Much of the discussion of bitcoin in the popular press has concentrated on its status as a currency. Putting aside a vocal minority of radical libertarians and anarchists, however, many bitcoin enthusiasts are concentrating on… Continue Reading

WSJ – Google Plunges Into Home Services Market

WSJ: “Internet users querying Google for terms like “clogged toilet” and “lock repair” now get more than advice on how to fix their problems. Google Inc. is pairing prescreened professionals – plumbers, electricians and other local home-service providers – with desperate clients. The long-awaited addition to its sponsored results, which rolled out Friday in and… Continue Reading