This report is concerned with a subject of vital importance to diverse areas of Canadian life, the management of data. What may at first appear to be only within the dry purview of archivists and scientists, on closer inspection shows itself to be central to important economic, environmental, intellectual, and social questions. The rapid pace of technological change, an immensely heightened concern for the environment, the growth of global systems of all kinds, and the increasing pressures of economic constraint have together brought new interest in how we manage our understanding of the planet and what it costs to do so. The flow of scientific data from a very large variety of sources is increasing yet the development of systems and agreements necessary to make the best and most cost-effective use of this data lag behind. The discussions presented here focus on both national and international barriers to the flow of data. Additionally there is a review of the initiatives already underway to address this multifaceted problem.

Any review of the use of data must soon address the issues of ownership of that data. While in principle there is strong support in Canada and internationally for free and open access to data of all kinds, there is also reluctance in many quarters to share information. There are certain costs in the collection of data and it is not clear who should bear them. Secondary analysis of data can yield very useful information but it is not clear what obligation, if any, secondary researchers owe to primary ones. Existing legislation does not give a complete answer, nor do the policies of the Federal government. Intellectual property rights appear to be only vaguely defined in many cases. Compounding this problem is the potential commercial use of many datasets. Consequently it is acknowledged that user pay systems will become a reality in some areas. The roles of governments, universities, scientific organizations, and other key actors are in a state of flux concerning the distribution of data and the recovery of costs incurred in its collection. There is a clear need for leadership on these issues and new, wide-ranging information management policies are called for. Several examples of national and international leadership efforts are presented in the DISP report.

Data management contains within it several broad areas of activity each of which contains challenges for those concerned with global environmental change. Firstly, the technical questions of interoperability and data shelf life continue to deepen both because of the pace of technological change and the costs of conversion. There are no bodies nationally or internationally which have accepted a mandate to set standards or enforce compliance to them. Secondly, the archiving of data is a serious concern. Important datasets have been lost, and there is no registry system in place for data already collected. Documentation of data is inconsistent, and access systems need to be devised. Thirdly, there are many stakeholders in this issue, in both the public and private sectors. Data policies vary greatly among them, and economic factors complicate the situation further still. For example, data gathered through satellites is costly to produce. While it has high market value, it also can be used for general public benefit. How then shall it be controlled?

A general view, articulated from several quarters, is that the data issues discussed here have a certain urgency. Not only will Canada derive great benefit from formulating a national information policy, its participation in international initiatives will procure it importance influence in the design of new systems. The pace of global environmental change is increasing and the economic structures associated with the flow of information are changing with it. The only real strategic choice Canada may have is to share in the leadership of change rather than to be a victim of it.

The Information and Data Systems Panel hopes that this review may provide the impetus for changes that will benefit not just global change research in Canada and internationally, but will also improve the conditions for empirical research in all disciplines. Based on an examination of the issues in both Canada and in other countries, the Panel has made 10 recommendations. These recommendations provide the basis for an integrated national and international approach to data management for global environmental research.