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Resolving Conflicts Arising from the Privatization of Environmental Data (2001)

Chapter: Purchasing Value-Added Products and Services

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Suggested Citation:"Purchasing Value-Added Products and Services." National Research Council. 2001. Resolving Conflicts Arising from the Privatization of Environmental Data. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10237.
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Page 78

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RECONCILING THE VIEWS OF THE STAKEHOLDERS 78 If the quantity of data needed is small or if the commercial elements have been avoided or removed, the vendor may permit full and open access because sharing and publishing the data in a customary manner would not harm the commercial market (e.g., Example 5.2). If the commercial vendor will not permit full and open access, the researcher must switch to other sources of data or help justify spending taxpayer resources on a new government-sponsored observing system. Conclusion. It is sometimes possible to work around restrictions but doing so is inefficient and requires scientists to modify their research objectives. A scientific audit conducted by respected and trusted scientists at the time of data delivery might also be an acceptable compromise for ensuring adequate documentation. Disclosure of the scientific quality of such data and the circumstances surrounding their acquisition might provide an advantage to competing vendors. Yet, if such metadata is not gathered and carefully recorded at the time of observation, it is usually impossible to reconstruct the information later. In that case, even if the data meet minimal performance requirements, their value for future use is greatly diminished. The auditors would (1) ensure that complete and satisfactory documentation exists; (2) publish a summary of its scientifically significant conclusions; and (3) obtain assurances that complete documentation would be published as soon as its commercial significance has decreased. Conclusion. Confidential scientific audits of commercial data followed later by full disclosure may be a valuable tool in assuring data quality. Purchasing Value-Added Products and Services Value-added products and services are commonly created by privatesector organizations. Commercial value-added products that meet the needs of the scientific community are welcomed and used by most researchers. If the product is too expensive for research budgets, scientists will create their own from the same openly accessible sources of data. Such competition with the private sector is fair, as long as

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Reliable collections of science-based environmental information are vital for many groups of users and for a number of purposes. For example, electric utility companies predict demand during heat waves, structural engineers design buildings to withstand hurricanes and earthquakes, water managers monitor each winter's snow pack, and farmers plant and harvest crops based on daily weather predictions. Understanding the impact of human activities on climate, water, ecosystems, and species diversity, and assessing how natural systems may respond in the future are becoming increasingly important for public policy decisions.

Environmental information systems gather factual information, transform it into information products, and distribute the products to users. Typical uses of the information require long-term consistency; hence the operation of the information system requires a long-term commitment from an institution, agency, or corporation. The need to keep costs down provides a strong motivation for creating multipurpose information systems that satisfy scientific, commercial and operational requirements, rather than systems that address narrow objectives. Resolving Conflicts Arising from the Privatization of Environmental Data focuses on such shared systems.

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