Collaborative Data Curation as Data Governance: A Case of Data Sharing in Environmental Science

Abstract

Data sharing involves a lot of data curation work. This thesis explains what this work is, how it is done, why it is necessary, and what its implications are for governing data infrastructures. The thesis is based on a four-year qualitative case study of data management in a long-term environmental science research network. Long-term environmental research draws on ecology, geology, meteorology, biology, chemistry, engineering, and physics to study environmental problems and the impact of humans on the environment over time. In this thesis, I delve into the less understood and often overlooked forms of human and policy work involved in preparing scientific data for disseminating to prospective users. Empirical data were obtained from four research stations affiliated with the network: three in Norway and one in Portugal. The thesis has two aims: I turn away from data governance perspectives that focus on technologies and policy definitions for managing organisational data, and instead emphasise how these technologies and policies are implemented in day-to-day work practices. I examine the sociotechnical nature of these work practices as data curation – where multidisciplinary actors collaborate on data issues, often with different assumptions, interests, goals, and expectations to collect, prepare and disseminate organisational data. I then show how this perspective informs a new understanding of data governance. The thesis reminds us that not all data-related issues are technical – some are deeply human and inherently political. Theoretically, the thesis contributes to the Information Systems (IS) literature and, marginally, to the Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) literature. Drawing on key research themes on information infrastructures, sensemaking frames, and polycentric governance I propose a theoretical framework for examining data curation as data governance. The thesis also contributes empirical insights into data curation as a governance practice where multiple, overlapping, autonomous units of decision-making interact to manage data across diverse situated contexts. By engaging with such an understanding, practitioners can gain insights into how individuals and groups influence data-related activities and how they enable or constrain responsible data use. This understanding is also important for improving data management strategies and technologies, enhancing the responsiveness of organisational data management, and ensuring that data meet the evolving needs of the organisation.