special libraries association - keynote 2014

“beyond borders” @wilbanks

08 june 2014 vancouver

we’re way past old information

borders.

thought experiment…

1992

“a group of volunteers connected by a global computer network will

build for free and give away an encyclopedia that displaces

Britannica”

http://jaysimons.deviantart.com/art/Map-of-the-Internet-2-0-436762109

1. when borders shift, so do

epistemologies.

cheap data changes how we

justify our opinions.

OPS = AB(H + BB + HBP) + TB(AB + BB + SF + HBP) / AB(AB + BB + SF + HBP)

cheap data is changing our

politics.

cheap data is going to change our health.

image via http://macrumors.com/

but what actually needs to be done day to day?

store content organize content

query content

store content organize content

query content

store content organize content

query content

meet the new boss?

2. we don’t even have a map

for what data is doing.

http://www.technologyreview.com/featuredstory/520426/the-real-privacy-problem/

cheap data transgresses lots of things we expect…

but haven’t ever been guaranteed.

privacy.

property.

exclusivity.

https://www.scienceexchange.com/

authority.

3. borders and maps for data

don’t yet exist. but they are forming.

and the valuable ones are forming across disciplines.

“compatible communication” is the real key.

small but compatibly communicating groups can

create asymmetrically valuable resources.

small group sharing

proven to work in: software content

let’s try a small but compatibly

communicating test in breast cancer.

code sharing a prerequisite.

accuracy of model jumped three orders of

magnitude in nine days.

48

76% accurate.

21 february 2013

17 april 2013

ongoing...

SHOW ME THE CODE!

...

...

...

...

...

let’s try a small but compatibly

communicating group in big science.

68core projects

1070datasets

1723results

18papers in press

9months of compatible

communication

let’s try it with my personal genomic data.

“eat less and exercise”

volunteer must click to proceed

all boxes must be checked

http://opensnp.org/users/615

http://files.snpedia.com/reports/promethease_data/genome_jtw_ui2.html

“Also there is no suggestion of consanguinity in your pedigree.” !

http://www.ianlogan.co.uk/

(the compatible communication is

conspicuously absent)

compatible communication requires

standards.

three historically proven methods for

compatible communication.

a. incrementalism.

b. the cartel.

c. open standards.

81

what’s the value of any measurement when we

can measure everything?

joy’s law is truer than ever.

the value is in the compatible

communication.

thank you !

@wilbanks john.wilbanks@sagebase.org