Towards the Australian Data Commons / A proposal for an Australian National Data Service

This paper is designed to encourage, inform and ultimately summarise the discussions around the appropriate strategic and technical descriptions of the Australian National Data Service; to fill in the
outline in the Platforms for Collaboration investment plan.

To do so, the paper:

– introduces the Australian National Data Service (ANDS) and the driving forces behind its creation;
– provides a rationale for the services that ANDS will provide, and the programs through which the services will be offered; and
– describes in detail the ANDS programs.

Part One (Background) provides a brief summary of the reasons to focus on data management, as well as an overview of ANDS, and identifies some issues associated with implementation.

Part Two (Rationale) sets out the systemic issues associated with achieving a research data commons, and provides the resultant rationale for the services that ANDS will offer the programs that they will be delivered through.

Part Three (Detailed Descriptions of ANDS Programs) sets out in detail the Aim, Focus, Service Beneficiaries, Products and Community Engagement activities for each of the ANDS Programs.