The e-Social Science Research Agenda

Peter Halfpenny and Rob Procter

School of Social Sciences - University of Manchester

UK e-Science All Hands Meeting Oxford 7-9 December 2009

Overview

1. UK National Centre for e-Social Science

2. Scope of e-Social Science

3. Changing technical landscape

4. Funding innovation

5. Understanding the community

6. e-Social Science of the future

1. UK National Centre for e-Social Science

- NCeSS

NCeSS: objective 1

■ Apply e-science technologies to enable better social science

■ Little prior demand by social scientists quantitative – mature products

- computer-assisted interviewing- statistical packages

qualitative – beyond computerisation- hermeneutic disciplines - human interpretation central

NCeSS: objective 2

■ Social shaping of technological innovation

■ Investigates influences on e-Science: development path

- of technology tools and services- of science

barriers to uptake, enablers usability real-world use

2. Scope of e-Social Science

e-Social Science vision

■ Grid bigger, faster, more collaborative science little prior demand in social sciences

- except for some specialist areas

■ Web 2.0 tools to aid research topic of research (of which more anon)

3. Changing technical landscape

Changing technical environment

■ Grid dauntingly complex doubtful benefits

- except in some specialist areas

■ Web 2.0 simple to implement and use immediate benefits

Changing technical environment

■ Web 2.0 generated interest raised expectations

■ Tailored ICTs Research 2.0 open source open APIs mashups

4. Funding innovation

Demonstrators

Early Adopters

Innovation Pipeline: time & costC

ost

Time

Proof of

concept /

mock up

Adapt /

Create

Develop

Production

level tools

and services

Maintain

Support

Unengaged

Enthusiasts

Demonstrators

Computer

scientists

Innovation Pipeline: staffC

ost

Time

Proof of

concept /

mock up

Adapt /

Create

Develop

Production

level tools

and services

Maintain /

Support

Support

staff

Software

engineers

Demonstrators

Research

Councils’

project funding

Innovation Pipeline: sustainabilityC

ost

Time

Proof of

concept /

mock up

Adapt /

Create

Develop

Production

level tools

and services

Maintain

Support

??

??

Funding CouncilsResearch Councils

JISCUniversities

UsersOpen source

Business

5. Understanding the community

Barriers to uptake

■ Social scientists’ adoption handicapped lack of awareness technology not transferable lack of local IT support risk aversion resistance to training not needed for career success rewards for originality not cumulation

6. e-Social Science of the future

The broad e-SS programme

computer-assisted interviewing web surveys, crowdsourcing user-generated data: blogs, social networks social network analysis new forms of digital data creation of metadata: tagging, rating linking data confidentiality, ethics sharing data IPR, ethics

The broad e-SS programme

Webometrics geo-referencing data mapping geo-referenced data social simulation collaborative mark-up of video text mining data mining web-base behavioural interventions

Multiple levels of e-SS programme

1. develop the technology2. social science of technology development3. social science of technology use4. implementation of 2 & 3 to improve 15. new social science using new technology

(impact on science)

6. implementation of 5(impact on society)

7. social study of implementation

Social science of the future

■ Explosion of social data administrative transactional spatial user-generated systems-generated

■ Opportunity to transform social science

■ Necessary to transform social science??

The future

■ Optimistic ferment of innovation digital natives are coming key challenges as drivers

■ Pessimistic e-Social Science innovations unsustainable barriers to / lack of incentives for adoption efforts dissipated