Why open data is good for science

“I recently applied to the Open Knowledge Foundation for one of their  Panton Fellowships. They are giving a number of £8,000 Fellowships to researchers who are trying to promote open science and open data. I got through the initial screening and had to make a short video to support my application. But alas, I didn’t make the final interview stage. Nevertheless, in the spirit of openness, I thought you might like to see my application. Here’s the video. No laughing at the back.” The blogger provides a brief essay submitted as part of the application and outlining his work on two open access projects: 1. the TRACX simulator used in cognitive modeling and 2. an app that uses “smartphones to collect data on everyday alcohol & drug use. The idea is provide a free application that tracks consumption, mood and has some simple games which measure cognitive function (reaction time, coordination, etc.) The user’s data are sent securely to a webserver, anonymised and made available for research purposes. I believe that openness is central building trust with potential user base for such a project...” See Boozerlyzer.net for more information. Links to two recent articles awaiting publication are available.