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Enabling Global Solutions for Agricultural and Nutrition Challenges through Linked Open Data Presented by Chris Kollen and Barb Hutchinson, University of Arizona Libraries

Enabling Global Solutions for Agricultural and Nutrition Challenges through Linked Open Data: LOD for development

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Page 1: Enabling Global Solutions for Agricultural and Nutrition Challenges through Linked Open Data: LOD for development

Enabling Global Solutions for

Agricultural and Nutrition

Challenges through Linked

Open DataPresented by

Chris Kollen and Barb Hutchinson, University of Arizona Libraries

Page 2: Enabling Global Solutions for Agricultural and Nutrition Challenges through Linked Open Data: LOD for development

Agenda

Introduction

Opportunity and Need

Importance of Linked Open Data (LOD)

Preparation of LOD Concept Note

Needs to be Addressed and Objectives for Proposed

Project

Page 3: Enabling Global Solutions for Agricultural and Nutrition Challenges through Linked Open Data: LOD for development

Introduction

Availability and access to good quality data is key for development

research, especially in knowledge-intensive areas such as agriculture and

nutrition

Wide array of development partners are aware and interested in the need

to improve information management by opening up data

Number of key stakeholders have started to make their data repositories

accessible and advocating for others to build the capacities

Coherence in Information for Agriculture Research for Development

(CIARD), founded in 2008, is a leader in opening access to agriculture-

related knowledge and building capacities

Global Open Data for Agriculture and Nutrition (GODAN) Initiative, founded

in 2013, addresses policy engagement and advocacy in the global debate

on open data, and expand network of partners focusing on the private

sector

Both groups have similar interests – how can they work together?

Page 4: Enabling Global Solutions for Agricultural and Nutrition Challenges through Linked Open Data: LOD for development

GODAN and CIARD Consultative Conference

GODAN and CIARD held joint 3 day consultancy in Rome (April 2014) with

72 participants from a wide range of groups

Goals

Determine areas of shared interest, opportunities for collaboration, and overlap

between

Consensus on GODAN Secretariat structure

Facilitate advocacy, networking, collaboration, and coordination on projects

Identify key constraints use of open data

Establish a broad framework for GODAN Strategic Advocacy Plan

Discussions ranged from high level funding and policy issues to more

practical advocacy and technical issues

Current efforts in open data were also presented

Page 5: Enabling Global Solutions for Agricultural and Nutrition Challenges through Linked Open Data: LOD for development

Opportunity and Need

Points from Dr. Catherine Woteki, USDA

Promise of open data for agriculture and nutrition

GODAN and CIARD have similar goals. Alliance is desirable, but ...

GODAN likely be a 3-5 year initiative

CIARD is long-term

Limited political window to advance open data at a high level, limited time

for payoff (uncertain future of GODAN after President Obama leaves office)

Need to identify resources and potential funders; gain more support among

G20 members

Page 6: Enabling Global Solutions for Agricultural and Nutrition Challenges through Linked Open Data: LOD for development

Next Steps from Conference

Establish working groups – collaborative activities

Proposed North American Working Group; proposed facilitators include Luz

Marina Alvare (International Food Policy Research Institute), Mary Ochs (Cornell

University), and Barb Hutchinson (University of Arizona)

Organize public GODAN event

Prepare concept paper on Linked Open Data Infrastructure for Agricultural

Development with focus on advocacy, technology, technical standards,

and partnerships with information providers in developing countries

Page 7: Enabling Global Solutions for Agricultural and Nutrition Challenges through Linked Open Data: LOD for development

Importance of Open and Linked Data

Open data moves to linked open data where data is linked to other data to provide

context (enrich, connect, and link)

Need for adherence to common standards that support data interoperability

Fig. 1 Berners-Lee 5 star model for Linked Open Data

Information is available on the Web (any format) under an open license

Information is available as structured data (e.g. Excel instead of an image scan of a table)

Non-proprietary formats are used (e.g. CSV instead of Excel)

URI identification is used so that people can point at individual data

Data is linked to other data to provide context

Linked open data can provide

Mechanisms to facilitate new solutions for information management and integration

New knowledge discovery and innovation for better decision-making

Page 8: Enabling Global Solutions for Agricultural and Nutrition Challenges through Linked Open Data: LOD for development

Need and Opportunity to Work

Together on LOD Information Service Providers (ISPs) recognize a need and opportunity to work

together on linked open data with other partners in the north and south in the

following three main areas:

Standards and Directories

Technology

Capacity Development

In a process of mutual learning as to how LOD practice can benefit information

providers and users at all capacity levels

Page 9: Enabling Global Solutions for Agricultural and Nutrition Challenges through Linked Open Data: LOD for development

Participants in Development of

Concept Note

The following ISPs play important roles as global sources of development

information in their respective domains. Participants in the development of the

concept paper were from the following organizations:

Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO)of the UN

CABI

Institute of Development Studies

Land Portal

The Rangelands Partnership/Global Rangelands

Page 10: Enabling Global Solutions for Agricultural and Nutrition Challenges through Linked Open Data: LOD for development

Project Goal Support 20-30 data providers and aggregators in agriculture and nutrition

to become enablers of an information ecology in which the sharing and

reuse of information from developing and developed countries becomes

the norm

Project will initiate a collaboration that will create infrastructures allowing

people around the world to access, share, and re-use data through

common standards and appropriate technologies

Key components of the proposed project include the following

workstreams:

Inception phase

Reference infrastructure

Technology

Capacity development

Page 11: Enabling Global Solutions for Agricultural and Nutrition Challenges through Linked Open Data: LOD for development

Project workstream: Inception phase

Three to six month inception phase

Finalize plans for project

Build relationships with consortium members and core partners

Develop shared understanding and ownership of project

Assess how LOD could be put to use to address specific user needs

Also involve external communication to raise awareness of the LOD initiative

Page 12: Enabling Global Solutions for Agricultural and Nutrition Challenges through Linked Open Data: LOD for development

Project workstream 1: Reference infrastructure

Establish a set of agreed upon interoperability standards for opening access to

agricultural information and data and for making connections between distributed

datasets

Establish a set of Global Directory services so that whatever is collected or created

in the project is discoverable by all potential users

Provide a set of methodologies and guidelines on the use of standards and

reference services

Page 13: Enabling Global Solutions for Agricultural and Nutrition Challenges through Linked Open Data: LOD for development

Project workstream 2: Technology

Project management ISPs will establish an open technology architecture for

broad use both among themselves and for others, drawing on systems and

software already available and developed where possible

The open architecture will support technologies that will make information

originating in both developing and developed counties available globally

in a LOD ecosystem

Page 14: Enabling Global Solutions for Agricultural and Nutrition Challenges through Linked Open Data: LOD for development

Project workstream 3: Capacity development

Critical attention will be directed to developing the capacity of the agriculture

and nutrition sector to effectively produce and use LOD

Mentoring opportunities will support an additional 20-30 southern and northern

information providers interested in understanding linked data basics and

building practical linked data models

The collaboration will be expanded through an open competitive call as well

as drawing on existing networks of Core Partners

Page 15: Enabling Global Solutions for Agricultural and Nutrition Challenges through Linked Open Data: LOD for development

Project Team

A lead organization (to be determined) for the project will manage the

effort and be responsible for ensuring the Core Partners meet deadlines,

conduct timely assessments, are accountable for continuing progress,

maintain ongoing evaluation, and report results as required by the funding

agency(ies)

The lead organization will sub-contract with other Core Partners to

implement workstreams 1 and 2 (reference infrastructure and technology)

Core Partners, as appropriate for regional coverage, will also work with

associated partners targeted for capacity building in workstream 3 and

provide sub-grants for these additional partners to take part

Page 16: Enabling Global Solutions for Agricultural and Nutrition Challenges through Linked Open Data: LOD for development

Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning, Impact

Monitoring and evaluation to test out the assumption that LOD leads to positive

impacts will be essential components of the project

Embed an action research methodology to analyse use cases and ensure

learning about what has worked and what has not.

Plan to set up a learning and monitoring environment that emphasizes “learning

by doing” to help design smarter services and understand user experiences better

Demonstrate and document how opening up knowledge can make a difference

in development planning and implementation

Page 17: Enabling Global Solutions for Agricultural and Nutrition Challenges through Linked Open Data: LOD for development

Communications Strategy

3-4 year project is expected to cost approximately 8.5 million U.S. dollars

Financial Support Requested

Develop strategy to identify who in the broader agriculture, nutrition and

open data sectors to engage with throughout the project

Use social media, online communities (e.g. the global AIMS community of

practice) and information sharing mechanisms (e.g. video, webinars,

websites)

Page 18: Enabling Global Solutions for Agricultural and Nutrition Challenges through Linked Open Data: LOD for development

Questions?

Is there an opportunity for GODAN/CIARD to work with

RDA IG in Agriculture on data interoperability?