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is the creation of dedicated international science networks, such as the Internet II now being developed.
To improve the technical organization and management of scientific data, the scientific community, through the government science agencies, professional societies, and the actions of individual scientists, should do the following:
Work with the information and computer science communities to increase their involvement in scientific information management;
Support computer science research in database technology, particularly to strengthen standards for self-describing data representations, efficient storage of large data sets, and integration of standards for configuration management;
Improve science education and the reward system in the area of scientific data management; and
Encourage the funding of data compilation and evaluation projects, and of data rescue efforts for important data sets in transient or obsolete forms, especially by scientists in developing countries.
U.S. government science agencies, working with their counterparts in other nations, should improve data authentication and apply security safeguards more vigorously. They also should continue funding for research and development in information technologies that are important to the pursuit of science.
A consortium of intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations, including the International Telecommunications Union, the World Bank, the Specialized Agencies of the United Nations, the International Council of Scientific Unions, and other concerned bodies, should mount a global effort to reduce telecommunications tariffs to scientists in developing countries through differential pricing or direct subsidy.
Foreign aid to developing countries in the form of computers, computer networks, and associated software, coupled with the training and resources necessary to operate and maintain those technologies, should be given high priority, on the basis of the potential for long-term socioeconomic returns. The communication systems must have adequate carrying capacity to meet growing demand.
Recommendations Regarding Economic Aspects of Scientific Data
The committee recommends that the economic aspects of facilities for storage and distribution of scientific data generated by publicly funded research be evaluated according to the following criteria:
