Knowledge Infrastructures: Astronomy Data

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We must all accept that science is data and that data are science, and thus provide for, and justify the need for the support of, much-improved data curation (Science editorial: Hanson, Sugden & Alberts, 2011)*.

SDSS: Orion Nebula

The data deluge has arrived. Data-driven science is accelerating rapidly, but without the necessary social, technical, or policy infrastructure to support the capture, management, curation, use, and reuse of those data. Universities, libraries, funding agencies, and investigators are making critical decisions about what data to keep, in what form, for how long, and at what price. Academic programs are struggling to teach new skills in data management and policy, within the disciplines and within the information professions. All of these efforts are hampered by the lack of robust research that compares sites, disciplines, practices, and policies over a long period of time.

The UCLA Knowledge Infrastructures Team studying data, data practices, and data curation in astronomy brings to this problem several decades of research experience in the social studies of science, digital libraries, and information systems design and development. Related projects by each of the investigators are linked individually.

For more information, please see our funding announcement in UCLA Today or consult the UCLA Press Release announcing our funding from Sloan.

*Hanson, B., Sugden, A. & Alberts, B. (2011). Making Data Maximally Available. Science, 331(6018): 649-649.