{"id":20657,"date":"2023-11-16T11:32:24","date_gmt":"2023-11-16T16:32:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/geospatial\/?p=20657"},"modified":"2023-11-16T11:34:20","modified_gmt":"2023-11-16T16:34:20","slug":"what-is-open-science","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/geospatial\/news\/2023\/11\/16\/what-is-open-science\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is Open Science? An Intro, Common Misconceptions and Advice"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n<p>In January, the United States government <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/ostp\/news-updates\/2023\/01\/11\/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-announces-new-actions-to-advance-open-and-equitable-research\/\" target=\"_blank\">declared 2023 the Year of Open Science<\/a>. At NC State University\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/geospatial\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/geospatial\/\">Center for Geospatial Analytics<\/a>, our researchers have been doing open science for years. Yet, misconceptions about the term remain among the scientific community. What exactly is meant by \u201copen science\u201d? And how can a scientist be sure their (and others\u2019) research is as \u201copen\u201d as they think it is?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is open science?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Open science is \u201cwhat science should be,\u201d says <a href=\"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/geospatial\/people\/vaclav-petras\/\">Vaclav Petras<\/a>, a geospatial research software engineer and one of the Center for Geospatial Analytics\u2019 open science advocates. \u201cIt\u2019s sharing all different parts of research that are traditionally not shared, as far as possible in terms of privacy.\u201d The term is a broad umbrella, he says, encompassing six main areas:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>open source \u2013\u2013 software used in scientific research that is free to use and modify<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>open data \u2013\u2013 information either analyzed or produced (or both) by a research project<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>open access \u2013\u2013 research publications that are free to read<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>open educational resources \u2013\u2013 free and reusable teaching materials<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>open methodology \u2013\u2013 free, modifiable instructions for how to do or create something else<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>open peer review \u2013\u2013 transparent critique, and revision, of research reports submitted for publication in scientific journals<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Open peer review relates to the process by which scientists evaluate each other\u2019s work and decide whether it is publishable, but the other five relate to products or information, which may or may not be \u201copen\u201d depending on how a scientist produces and shares them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOften open is used to refer to something that is available publicly, but actually the word \u2018open\u2019 has a strict definition,\u201d Petras points out. \u201cIt\u2019s not that you can just download something from the internet, but that something has a specific license associated with it, specifying rights and limitations for how it can be used. And that is often overlooked.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Do scientists sometimes think a research product is \u201copen\u201d\u2026when it\u2019s not?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Yes. According to Petras, there are four main ways this happens:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">No license = not open<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Just because something is publicly available for download, and free, does not mean that it is open\u2026if there is no information provided about how it can be used or reused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cDifferent licenses exist for software code, data, images, text,\u201d Petras says, and each license varies in how much it does and does not allow. \u201cEverything is copyrighted; it\u2019s just proprietary or open. Licenses use copyright to give permissions of what people can do or cannot do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/share-your-work\/cclicenses\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Creative Commons<\/a> licenses for images and text range from public domain (no restrictions on reuse) to noncommercial use, which requires giving credit to the original source and permits no adaptation or monetary gain from use. Public domain licenses are completely permissive for fully open material, while noncommercial licenses are restrictive and associated with proprietary material. A spectrum of licenses exists in between, and, importantly, all open licenses allow commercial applications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, what if a geospatial data scientist uses a software development platform like <a href=\"https:\/\/github.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">GitHub<\/a> to make their code widely available\u2026but they don\u2019t specify a license for that code? According to Petras, the scientist\u2019s code is <strong>not open<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIf [putting code on GitHub] is just for showing the public or for rev\u00adiew, it\u2019s enough,\u201d Petras says, \u201cbut it\u2019s not enough if you want it to be reused. If something is available on GitHub, it can be viewed publicly, but it\u2019s not truly open unless there is a license associated with it that defines the rights and permissions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Petras encourages data scientists and software developers to alert GitHub contributors when a license is missing. \u201cIf you don\u2019t see a license for something on GitHub, and you want to be able to use that code or software, the correct thing to do is to click on \u2018Issues\u2019 while you\u2019re logged into your GitHub account and request the developer to add a license. That way, if they add a license, it\u2019s not just a bunch of code you can see but can\u2019t use; you can actually run it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Open-source licenses\u2013\u2013licenses specifically for open-source software\u2013\u2013also vary in how restrictive or permissive they are, and software developers can use sites like <a href=\"https:\/\/choosealicense.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">choosealicense.com<\/a>, Petras says, to find the one that best suits their work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u201cOpen source\u201d \u2260 freeware and doesn\u2019t automatically make output open<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Open-source software is a key component of geospatial research (and open science in general, really). For example, geospatial tools like <a href=\"https:\/\/grass.osgeo.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">GRASS GIS<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.qgis.org\/en\/site\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">QGIS<\/a> are open source\u2013\u2013software that is both free to use and for which the source code is accessible and modifiable by anyone, allowing even commercial applications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But, Petras says, the term \u201copen source\u201d is often misused. \u201cSomething may be called \u2018open-source software\u2019 when it is actually \u2018freeware,\u2019\u201d he says. \u201cFreeware can be downloaded for free, but it\u2019s proprietary.\u201d The licensing of proprietary software does not allow that software to be modified in any way for a new purpose, let alone a commercial one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Open-source licenses, meanwhile, govern how open-source software can be used and typically have very generous permissions for modification and very specific instructions for giving credit. They also determine how your use of the software determines the \u201copenness\u201d of resulting creations or modifications of the code.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cUsing open-source software does not automatically make something open,\u201d Petras says. For example, if someone uses open-source image-editing software like GIMP or Inkscape to create an image, that image is not automatically open. If a geospatial scientist uses the open-source <a href=\"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/geospatial\/research\/FUTURES\/\">FUTURES model<\/a> to forecast changes in urbanization across a landscape, their data or model outputs are also not automatically open.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yet, Petras says, using open-source code to create new software <strong>may<\/strong> require the resulting product to be open source. \u201cIf you are using and modifying code,\u201d Petras explains, \u201cit depends on the license whether your product is then also open; some licenses require you to keep the original license, and others allow you to change it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A parting word on open source before we move on: Petras also notes it is incorrect to use the phrase \u201copen-source science\u201d or \u201copen access software.\u201d Software that is open is simply called <strong>open source<\/strong>. \u201cPeople use terminology that they hear,\u201d he explains, \u201cbut it\u2019s not necessarily correct.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u201cOpen access\u201d \u2260 open research products<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>To some scientists, \u201copen science\u201d simply equates to \u201copen access\u201d\u2013\u2013when scientific publications are available to view and download for free. Petras disagrees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe purpose of an open access paper is to have free access to reading that paper, rather than have the material in that paper be \u2018open\u2019 per se,\u201d Petras says. \u201cOpen access publishing exists because people want access to the article for free. They don\u2019t want to change and reuse it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Open access papers are published with an open license, however. \u201cThe publishers are doing it the proper open way,\u201d Petras says, \u201cwith licenses that are actually permissive.\u201d For example, the publishers <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/openaccess\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">MDPI<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.springernature.com\/gp\/open-research\/about\/the-fundamentals-of-open-access-and-open-research\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Springer Nature<\/a> use a Creative Commons license that allows reusing all or part of a scientific article, including tables and figures, as long as the original article is cited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nevertheless, an open access license, for an open access paper, does not make any component of the study, other than the written report itself, open. The software, data and methodologies remain not open unless the researchers specifically make them open.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Data format matters<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Lastly, Petras points out that the way data and research products are created and shared determines how truly reusable (i.e., open) they are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIf you publish data that only one software can read, is it really open?\u201d he asks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The problem is a complicated one, Petras points out, because the field of geospatial analytics generates and uses very specialized file and data formats suited to specific analytical tools. \u201cIt leads to proliferation of different file formats. The issue comes when they are not open. If there is some standard, that helps.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A standard describes how a data format can be read and written by software. \u201cStandards should be open access and created in an open way,\u201d Petras says, so that standardization can be applied to data by many different geospatial scientists using different software.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Want to do open science? Make sure you budget for it.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Typically, open science is more expensive for a research team than doing science that is not open. Open access publishing has higher upfront costs than traditional publishing, and more time and effort are required to make data and software open, ensuring that they are properly licensed, accessible and easily reusable by another research team. The advantages, though, are more transparent and shareable research and the potential for faster and more efficient innovation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhile there are people who want to do open science but don\u2019t know how, more and more people now know how but don\u2019t have the time or money to do it,\u201d Petras notes. His recommendation: \u201cBudget money for open publications, open data, open software in grant proposals and projects. If you can budget $3,000 for open access, also budget for open data and open-source software. This could be the salary of a student or the salary of a software engineer. You have to have it in the budget.\u201d The Center for Geospatial Analytics, for example, <a href=\"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/geospatial\/engage\/\">welcomes collaborators<\/a> to include Center research staff in grant proposals to support open science efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Given the US Federal Government\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/ostp\/news-updates\/2023\/01\/11\/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-announces-new-actions-to-advance-open-and-equitable-research\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">focus on open science<\/a> this year, the Center for Geospatial Analytics is optimistic that federal funding agencies will look favorably on grant budgets that recognize the cost, and importance, of making science open.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Learn More<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Want to learn more about open science? Check out the following resources:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ncsu-geoforall-lab.github.io\/open-science-course\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Tools for Open Geospatial Science<\/a>, an open graduate-level course created by Vaclav Petras<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lib.ncsu.edu\/do\/open-research\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Open Research<\/a> at NC State University Libraries<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false,"raw":"<!-- wp:ncst\/dynamic-header {\"block\":\"ncst\/default-post-header\"} -->\n<!-- wp:ncst\/default-post-header {\"caption\":\"Image credit: ar130405 \/ Pixabay\",\"displayCategoryID\":10} \/-->\n<!-- \/wp:ncst\/dynamic-header -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>In January, the United States government <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/ostp\/news-updates\/2023\/01\/11\/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-announces-new-actions-to-advance-open-and-equitable-research\/\" target=\"_blank\">declared 2023 the Year of Open Science<\/a>. At NC State University\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/geospatial\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/geospatial\/\">Center for Geospatial Analytics<\/a>, our researchers have been doing open science for years. Yet, misconceptions about the term remain among the scientific community. What exactly is meant by \u201copen science\u201d? And how can a scientist be sure their (and others\u2019) research is as \u201copen\u201d as they think it is?<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:heading -->\n<h2>What is open science?<\/h2>\n<!-- \/wp:heading -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Open science is \u201cwhat science should be,\u201d says <a href=\"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/geospatial\/people\/vaclav-petras\/\">Vaclav Petras<\/a>, a geospatial research software engineer and one of the Center for Geospatial Analytics\u2019 open science advocates. \u201cIt\u2019s sharing all different parts of research that are traditionally not shared, as far as possible in terms of privacy.\u201d The term is a broad umbrella, he says, encompassing six main areas:<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:list -->\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li>open source \u2013\u2013 software used in scientific research that is free to use and modify<\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\n\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li>open data \u2013\u2013 information either analyzed or produced (or both) by a research project<\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\n\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li>open access \u2013\u2013 research publications that are free to read<\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\n\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li>open educational resources \u2013\u2013 free and reusable teaching materials<\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\n\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li>open methodology \u2013\u2013 free, modifiable instructions for how to do or create something else<\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\n\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li>open peer review \u2013\u2013 transparent critique, and revision, of research reports submitted for publication in scientific journals<\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item --><\/ul>\n<!-- \/wp:list -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Open peer review relates to the process by which scientists evaluate each other\u2019s work and decide whether it is publishable, but the other five relate to products or information, which may or may not be \u201copen\u201d depending on how a scientist produces and shares them.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>\u201cOften open is used to refer to something that is available publicly, but actually the word \u2018open\u2019 has a strict definition,\u201d Petras points out. \u201cIt\u2019s not that you can just download something from the internet, but that something has a specific license associated with it, specifying rights and limitations for how it can be used. And that is often overlooked.\u201d<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:heading -->\n<h2>Do scientists sometimes think a research product is \u201copen\u201d\u2026when it\u2019s not?<\/h2>\n<!-- \/wp:heading -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Yes. According to Petras, there are four main ways this happens:<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:heading {\"level\":3} -->\n<h3>No license = not open<\/h3>\n<!-- \/wp:heading -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Just because something is publicly available for download, and free, does not mean that it is open\u2026if there is no information provided about how it can be used or reused.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>\u201cDifferent licenses exist for software code, data, images, text,\u201d Petras says, and each license varies in how much it does and does not allow. \u201cEverything is copyrighted; it\u2019s just proprietary or open. Licenses use copyright to give permissions of what people can do or cannot do.\u201d<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>For example, <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/share-your-work\/cclicenses\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Creative Commons<\/a> licenses for images and text range from public domain (no restrictions on reuse) to noncommercial use, which requires giving credit to the original source and permits no adaptation or monetary gain from use. Public domain licenses are completely permissive for fully open material, while noncommercial licenses are restrictive and associated with proprietary material. A spectrum of licenses exists in between, and, importantly, all open licenses allow commercial applications.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>So, what if a geospatial data scientist uses a software development platform like <a href=\"https:\/\/github.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">GitHub<\/a> to make their code widely available\u2026but they don\u2019t specify a license for that code? According to Petras, the scientist\u2019s code is <strong>not open<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>\u201cIf [putting code on GitHub] is just for showing the public or for rev\u00adiew, it\u2019s enough,\u201d Petras says, \u201cbut it\u2019s not enough if you want it to be reused. If something is available on GitHub, it can be viewed publicly, but it\u2019s not truly open unless there is a license associated with it that defines the rights and permissions.\u201d<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Petras encourages data scientists and software developers to alert GitHub contributors when a license is missing. \u201cIf you don\u2019t see a license for something on GitHub, and you want to be able to use that code or software, the correct thing to do is to click on \u2018Issues\u2019 while you\u2019re logged into your GitHub account and request the developer to add a license. That way, if they add a license, it\u2019s not just a bunch of code you can see but can\u2019t use; you can actually run it.\u201d<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Open-source licenses\u2013\u2013licenses specifically for open-source software\u2013\u2013also vary in how restrictive or permissive they are, and software developers can use sites like <a href=\"https:\/\/choosealicense.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">choosealicense.com<\/a>, Petras says, to find the one that best suits their work.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:heading {\"level\":3} -->\n<h3>\u201cOpen source\u201d \u2260 freeware and doesn\u2019t automatically make output open<\/h3>\n<!-- \/wp:heading -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Open-source software is a key component of geospatial research (and open science in general, really). For example, geospatial tools like <a href=\"https:\/\/grass.osgeo.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">GRASS GIS<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.qgis.org\/en\/site\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">QGIS<\/a> are open source\u2013\u2013software that is both free to use and for which the source code is accessible and modifiable by anyone, allowing even commercial applications.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>But, Petras says, the term \u201copen source\u201d is often misused. \u201cSomething may be called \u2018open-source software\u2019 when it is actually \u2018freeware,\u2019\u201d he says. \u201cFreeware can be downloaded for free, but it\u2019s proprietary.\u201d The licensing of proprietary software does not allow that software to be modified in any way for a new purpose, let alone a commercial one.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Open-source licenses, meanwhile, govern how open-source software can be used and typically have very generous permissions for modification and very specific instructions for giving credit. They also determine how your use of the software determines the \u201copenness\u201d of resulting creations or modifications of the code.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>\u201cUsing open-source software does not automatically make something open,\u201d Petras says. For example, if someone uses open-source image-editing software like GIMP or Inkscape to create an image, that image is not automatically open. If a geospatial scientist uses the open-source <a href=\"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/geospatial\/research\/FUTURES\/\">FUTURES model<\/a> to forecast changes in urbanization across a landscape, their data or model outputs are also not automatically open.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Yet, Petras says, using open-source code to create new software <strong>may<\/strong> require the resulting product to be open source. \u201cIf you are using and modifying code,\u201d Petras explains, \u201cit depends on the license whether your product is then also open; some licenses require you to keep the original license, and others allow you to change it.\u201d<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>A parting word on open source before we move on: Petras also notes it is incorrect to use the phrase \u201copen-source science\u201d or \u201copen access software.\u201d Software that is open is simply called <strong>open source<\/strong>. \u201cPeople use terminology that they hear,\u201d he explains, \u201cbut it\u2019s not necessarily correct.\u201d<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:heading {\"level\":3} -->\n<h3>\u201cOpen access\u201d \u2260 open research products<\/h3>\n<!-- \/wp:heading -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>To some scientists, \u201copen science\u201d simply equates to \u201copen access\u201d\u2013\u2013when scientific publications are available to view and download for free. Petras disagrees.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>\u201cThe purpose of an open access paper is to have free access to reading that paper, rather than have the material in that paper be \u2018open\u2019 per se,\u201d Petras says. \u201cOpen access publishing exists because people want access to the article for free. They don\u2019t want to change and reuse it.\u201d<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Open access papers are published with an open license, however. \u201cThe publishers are doing it the proper open way,\u201d Petras says, \u201cwith licenses that are actually permissive.\u201d For example, the publishers <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/openaccess\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">MDPI<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.springernature.com\/gp\/open-research\/about\/the-fundamentals-of-open-access-and-open-research\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Springer Nature<\/a> use a Creative Commons license that allows reusing all or part of a scientific article, including tables and figures, as long as the original article is cited.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Nevertheless, an open access license, for an open access paper, does not make any component of the study, other than the written report itself, open. The software, data and methodologies remain not open unless the researchers specifically make them open.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:heading {\"level\":3} -->\n<h3>Data format matters<\/h3>\n<!-- \/wp:heading -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Lastly, Petras points out that the way data and research products are created and shared determines how truly reusable (i.e., open) they are.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>\u201cIf you publish data that only one software can read, is it really open?\u201d he asks.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>The problem is a complicated one, Petras points out, because the field of geospatial analytics generates and uses very specialized file and data formats suited to specific analytical tools. \u201cIt leads to proliferation of different file formats. The issue comes when they are not open. If there is some standard, that helps.\u201d<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>A standard describes how a data format can be read and written by software. \u201cStandards should be open access and created in an open way,\u201d Petras says, so that standardization can be applied to data by many different geospatial scientists using different software.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:heading -->\n<h2>Want to do open science? Make sure you budget for it.<\/h2>\n<!-- \/wp:heading -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Typically, open science is more expensive for a research team than doing science that is not open. Open access publishing has higher upfront costs than traditional publishing, and more time and effort are required to make data and software open, ensuring that they are properly licensed, accessible and easily reusable by another research team. The advantages, though, are more transparent and shareable research and the potential for faster and more efficient innovation.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>\u201cWhile there are people who want to do open science but don\u2019t know how, more and more people now know how but don\u2019t have the time or money to do it,\u201d Petras notes. His recommendation: \u201cBudget money for open publications, open data, open software in grant proposals and projects. If you can budget $3,000 for open access, also budget for open data and open-source software. This could be the salary of a student or the salary of a software engineer. You have to have it in the budget.\u201d The Center for Geospatial Analytics, for example, <a href=\"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/geospatial\/engage\/\">welcomes collaborators<\/a> to include Center research staff in grant proposals to support open science efforts.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Given the US Federal Government\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/ostp\/news-updates\/2023\/01\/11\/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-announces-new-actions-to-advance-open-and-equitable-research\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">focus on open science<\/a> this year, the Center for Geospatial Analytics is optimistic that federal funding agencies will look favorably on grant budgets that recognize the cost, and importance, of making science open.\u00a0<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:heading -->\n<h2>Learn More<\/h2>\n<!-- \/wp:heading -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Want to learn more about open science? Check out the following resources:<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:list -->\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ncsu-geoforall-lab.github.io\/open-science-course\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Tools for Open Geospatial Science<\/a>, an open graduate-level course created by Vaclav Petras<\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\n\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lib.ncsu.edu\/do\/open-research\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Open Research<\/a> at NC State University Libraries<\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item --><\/ul>\n<!-- \/wp:list -->"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Learn from one of the Center for Geospatial Analytics&#8217; experts about the six components of open science, the importance of open licenses, how a scientist might think a research product is open when it\u2019s not, and the need to budget for open science.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":20658,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"source":"","ncst_custom_author":"","ncst_show_custom_author":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"ncst\/default-post-header","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"{\"showAuthor\":true,\"showDate\":true,\"showFeaturedVideo\":false,\"displayCategoryID\":10,\"caption\":\"Image credit: ar130405 \/ Pixabay\"}","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","ncst_content_audit_display":false,"ncst_backToTopFlag":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[7,44,10],"tags":[38],"class_list":["post-20657","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-faculty-and-staff","category-newswire","category-spotlight","tag-open-source"],"displayCategory":{"term_id":10,"name":"Spotlight","slug":"spotlight","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":10,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":88,"filter":"raw"},"acf":{"ncst_posts_meta_modified_date":null},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/geospatial\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20657","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/geospatial\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/geospatial\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/geospatial\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/geospatial\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20657"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/geospatial\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20657\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20695,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/geospatial\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20657\/revisions\/20695"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/geospatial\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20658"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/geospatial\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20657"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/geospatial\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20657"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/geospatial\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20657"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}