Abstract
Data are the foundation of science, and there is an increasing focus on how data can be reused and enhanced to drive scientific discoveries. However, most seemingly “open data” do not provide legal permissions for reuse and redistribution. The inability to integrate and redistribute our collective data resources blocks innovation and stymies the creation of life-improving diagnostic and drug selection tools. To help the biomedical research and research support communities (e.g. libraries, funders, repositories, etc.) understand and navigate the data licensing landscape, the (Re)usable Data Project (RDP) (http://reusabledata.org) assesses the licensing characteristics of data resources and how licensing behaviors impact reuse. We have created a ruleset to determine the reusability of data resources and have applied it to 56 scientific data resources (e.g. databases) to date. The results show significant reuse and interoperability barriers. Inspired by game-changing projects like Creative Commons, the Wikipedia Foundation, and the Free Software movement, we hope to engage the scientific community in the discussion regarding the legal use and reuse of scientific data, including the balance of openness and how to create sustainable data resources in an increasingly competitive environment.
Highlights
In order for biomedical discoveries to be translated into human health improvements, the underlying data must be thoroughly reusable: one should be able to access and recombine data in new ways and make these recombinations available to others
Significant resources and influence have been invested and leveraged to make biomedical data publicly available and scientifically useful [1,2,3]. Projects such as the NIH NCATS Translator, Data Commons, Illuminating the Druggable Genome, Bgee, and the Monarch Initiative demonstrate that efforts to aggregate and integrate data are seen as a worthwhile undertaking
Of the 56 data resources we evaluated, 22 (39%) received between 4 and 5 stars, indicating that they met our broadest requirements for being reusable, which allowed for some caveats; only 10 (18%) received 5 stars by meeting all parts (A-E) of the criteria (Fig 1). 23 (41%) of the resources received fewer than 3 stars, which is notable because even data resources for which the provider has reserved all copyrights can receive a score of 3 stars if the data covered by the license are accessible. 32 (57%) of the resources had 3 stars or fewer, meaning that a majority of resources had significant issues with basic reusability
Summary
In order for biomedical discoveries to be translated into human health improvements, the underlying data must be thoroughly reusable: one should be able to access and recombine data in new ways and make these recombinations available to others. Significant resources and influence have been invested and leveraged to make biomedical data publicly available and scientifically useful [1,2,3]. Projects such as the NIH NCATS Translator, Data Commons, Illuminating the Druggable Genome, Bgee, and the Monarch Initiative demonstrate that efforts to aggregate and integrate data are seen as a worthwhile undertaking. Despite these efforts, technical, logistical, descriptive, and legal barriers continue to impede data interoperability and reusability. We are concerned with the ways in which data licensing practices have created widespread legal and financial barriers across the biomedical domain.
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