Open science and data | Royal Society

" ... Our report Science as an Open Enterprise explores how open data could lead to a new revolution in the way science is done, as wide-reaching and impactful as the revolution triggered by the first scientific journals. Rapid, ubiquitous technological change has created new ways of acquiring, storing, manipulating and transmitting vast data volumes, as well as stimulating new habits of communication and collaboration among scientists. Our response to the Science 2.0 Consultation outlines how these changes are causing a cultural shift in science and, to take advantage of these developments, how science needs to maintain its openness and use technology to promote open science. The availability of vast amounts of data has created new opportunities. Data science is a novel way of doing science, by analysing or running experiments through large datasets. Citizen science projects such as Zooniverse, which engage members of the public in research programmes, can tackle large scientific problems otherwise out of scope for researchers. Not only is open science often effective in stimulating scientific discovery, it may also help to detect and deter bad science. Making underlying scientific data open, with appropriate safeguards, could help to both identify fraudulent activity and build public trust in science. Our report on cybersecurity research will highlight the risks that accompany the benefits of data sharing, and explore a risk-based approach to sharing data ..."