Open Data in the Context of Arctic Glass

Other than the customary excuse for "not having enough time" to update this blog, I do have some fairly well-formed excuses that led me to thinking about the concept of open data, science, and all topics related to that conversation. All of this due to this simple conundrum: "I want to be efficient about my progress reporting and findings for Arctic Glass, BUT I also want to share some of this information publicly on this blog." This of course developed into the realization that I would have to essentially keep current on two separate records. One for my internal reporting and one for external. While for some areas of science this makes a lot of sense (i.e. munition research), it does not make sense at all in my case. If anything, I want to attract a wide audience, inclusive of commercial and the general public, to my ideas forming as a result of the Arctic Glass project. However, the idea of two separate narratives for this process for which I would rather be doing the experimenting and not the administration was driving me a bit crazy. Ultimately I decided to err on the side of open. (Note to Google though, it would be AWESOME if I could limit some text in my blog posts to specific users only. Kind of like highlighting for security purposes.)

In any case, what does "being open about data" mean in the context of Arctic Glass:


- My field notes, and thoughts surrounding them, will be kept in this blog, open to anyone.
WHY? Because I'm not the one manufacturing the product. Just as with pure science in general, I'm not limited specifically by commercial competition. I have knowledge to share, and my only expectation is to be kept, at least, informed by any research or commercial development that comes from my work.


- My expenditures, and other financial information regarding Arctic Glass will be kept private, for now. 
WHY? Mostly because this can be a sensitive subject for some, and there is really no scientific advantage to that information right at this moment in time. Not to say this always has to be the case.


- Collaborative information regarding commercial or public entities will be open but only at the consent of the parters involved.
WHY? Kind of obvious, but betraying others trust blindly doesn't make people want to collaborate.

WHY be open in general?
Because science, (and myself) can move faster (and be more efficient and ultimately useful).

Because collaborators are a blessing not a problem. On top of that, they can help you keep your eye on the goal AND help you get there.

Because there is a lot to do, and there is more than enough work to go around (thanks to Dan Duffy @ NASA for this thought)


I realize that many researchers do in fact, post their project process online. This is awesome! I plan to help encourage this trend with some kind of non-static web presence beyond this blog, very soon...