Global Public Goods (definitions)

Global Public Goods - current state of play, weaknesses and opportunities As summarized from the various discussions and consultations during 2005, Global Public Goods are defined as data, information, and value-added information and services based on data and information that are: • Searchable and located in repositories (electronic) • Globally available • Open and easily accessible to all • Demonstrably sustainable • Contributing substantially to the CGIAR mission GPGs traditionally share two other important characteristics: they are non-excludable and non-rival. That is to say, everyone can enjoy the benefits, and one person's use of a GPG does not prevent another from enjoying the same benefits. The CGIAR has recognized that access to GPGs is essential to support agricultural research and development. In recent years, the number and type of databases generated by CGIAR scientific communities in a variety of fields (forestry, livestock, fishery, crops, socio-economics, etc.) has expanded rapidly. Nonetheless, development partners and global research communities (including CGIAR staff themselves) have difficulties accessing these resources in a consolidated manner. Difficulties include: • A lack of awareness of CGIAR GPGs: Potential users within and outside the CGIAR are not familiar with many of the databases available. There is a need for a concerted effort to promote awareness of available GPGs. • The inability to cross-search CGIAR information "islands" at once: There is presently no mechanism through which a user can search all the information resources held by the CGIAR from a single point of entry. CGIAR Center scientists themselves have no simple way of identifying commonalities between their work and that of their colleagues in other Centers. • Inadequacy of data standardization within and between scientific communities: There is presently no commonly agreed set of standards for describing and searching scientific data held in various communities. There are no commonly agreed metadata standards that will allow the simplest cross-search across these information sources. • The duplication of efforts: There is increased risk of duplication of efforts while collecting, analyzing and processing scientific research data. It is becoming less and less uncommon for scientists from the same institution to collect similar types of data from the same locations without realizing the unnecessary duplication of effort. • Some of the information resides on individual scientist's computers and are not even accessible by scientists within the same Center. • The need to unify individual efforts and increase benefits from cross-sectoral alliances: There is an increased need from individual communities to benefit from scientific databases supported by others. Such cross-boundary alliances are now critical for enriching individual GPGs (e.g. linkages between water management databases and crop production GPGs, and common access to different poverty mapping and land use databases). • A return on investment from CGIAR scientific data resources that is well below its expected potential: As different communities at different locations are collecting similar datasets, there is a huge potential for integrating complementary datasets to form new GPGs, which have greater temporal and spatial coverage. As a concrete example, imagine a researcher or planner working for a national agricultural research system. To retrieve information from the CGIAR about a particular crop, the researcher needs to follow a tedious process to identify all relevant scientific databases and expertise through individual CGIAR websites, manually retrieve individual pieces of information and consolidate them. With the proliferation of potentially useful information, this process becomes increasingly complex, with many valuable information sources remaining undiscovered or not properly used. Publicly available search engines such as Google generate such large lists of potentially relevant information that the user often is overloaded. The discussions during the online consultation highlighted several issues concerning how best to respond to the difficulties identified above. These were in addition to the obvious need to initiate a systematic effort to allow, in effect, the collation of these various dispersed information sources into a consolidated view, and the need for more effective and efficient search facilities. These highlighted issues include: • The need to know what GPGs actually exist at any one time; • The importance of REALLY knowing who the priority users of these GPGs are (or could be) and what their needs are; • The need to recognize that the human element will always be present and necessary (in addition to better access) to these resources in order to maximize their value and use (to truly tap into "knowledge"); • All too often, lip service is paid to partners. But only when partners ARE treated as partners will full benefits be realized. It also was apparent from the discussions that many CGIAR Centers are producing innovative science-based information products and services that target decision makers, policymakers, NGOs and farming communities. This suggests that there are grades of "derived' public goods that can be created by the CGIAR - at the multi-Center, or System level - to drive impact and change. To summarize, there exists a strong need to: • Know what data and information resources exist • Know priority users and their needs • Provide easy unified access to both scientific data and textual information • Provide the option of searching in an integrated fashion, where appropriate, different data and information types • Ensure that data and information managed by partners and CGIAR Centers are more equally accessible • Develop services that add value to the basic data and information

Global Public Goods - current state of play, weaknesses and opportunities As summarized from the various discussions and consultations during 2005, Global Public Goods are defined as data, information, and value-added information and services based on data and information that are: • Searchable and located in repositories (electronic) • Globally available • Open and easily accessible to all • Demonstrably sustainable • Contributing substantially to the CGIAR mission GPGs traditionally share two other important characteristics: they are non-excludable and non-rival. That is to say, everyone can enjoy the benefits, and one person's use of a GPG does not prevent another from enjoying the same benefits. The CGIAR has recognized that access to GPGs is essential to support agricultural research and development. In recent years, the number and type of databases generated by CGIAR scientific communities in a variety of fields (forestry, livestock, fishery, crops, socio-economics, etc.) has expanded rapidly. Nonetheless, development partners and global research communities (including CGIAR staff themselves) have difficulties accessing these resources in a consolidated manner. Difficulties include: • A lack of awareness of CGIAR GPGs: Potential users within and outside the CGIAR are not familiar with many of the databases available. There is a need for a concerted effort to promote awareness of available GPGs. • The inability to cross-search CGIAR information "islands" at once: There is presently no mechanism through which a user can search all the information resources held by the CGIAR from a single point of entry. CGIAR Center scientists themselves have no simple way of identifying commonalities between their work and that of their colleagues in other Centers. • Inadequacy of data standardization within and between scientific communities: There is presently no commonly agreed set of standards for describing and searching scientific data held in various communities. There are no commonly agreed metadata standards that will allow the simplest cross-search across these information sources. • The duplication of efforts: There is increased risk of duplication of efforts while collecting, analyzing and processing scientific research data. It is becoming less and less uncommon for scientists from the same institution to collect similar types of data from the same locations without realizing the unnecessary duplication of effort. • Some of the information resides on individual scientist's computers and are not even accessible by scientists within the same Center. • The need to unify individual efforts and increase benefits from cross-sectoral alliances: There is an increased need from individual communities to benefit from scientific databases supported by others. Such cross-boundary alliances are now critical for enriching individual GPGs (e.g. linkages between water management databases and crop production GPGs, and common access to different poverty mapping and land use databases). • A return on investment from CGIAR scientific data resources that is well below its expected potential: As different communities at different locations are collecting similar datasets, there is a huge potential for integrating complementary datasets to form new GPGs, which have greater temporal and spatial coverage. As a concrete example, imagine a researcher or planner working for a national agricultural research system. To retrieve information from the CGIAR about a particular crop, the researcher needs to follow a tedious process to identify all relevant scientific databases and expertise through individual CGIAR websites, manually retrieve individual pieces of information and consolidate them. With the proliferation of potentially useful information, this process becomes increasingly complex, with many valuable information sources remaining undiscovered or not properly used. Publicly available search engines such as Google generate such large lists of potentially relevant information that the user often is overloaded. The discussions during the online consultation highlighted several issues concerning how best to respond to the difficulties identified above. These were in addition to the obvious need to initiate a systematic effort to allow, in effect, the collation of these various dispersed information sources into a consolidated view, and the need for more effective and efficient search facilities. These highlighted issues include: • The need to know what GPGs actually exist at any one time; • The importance of REALLY knowing who the priority users of these GPGs are (or could be) and what their needs are; • The need to recognize that the human element will always be present and necessary (in addition to better access) to these resources in order to maximize their value and use (to truly tap into "knowledge"); • All too often, lip service is paid to partners. But only when partners ARE treated as partners will full benefits be realized. It also was apparent from the discussions that many CGIAR Centers are producing innovative science-based information products and services that target decision makers, policymakers, NGOs and farming communities. This suggests that there are grades of "derived' public goods that can be created by the CGIAR - at the multi-Center, or System level - to drive impact and change. To summarize, there exists a strong need to: • Know what data and information resources exist • Know priority users and their needs • Provide easy unified access to both scientific data and textual information • Provide the option of searching in an integrated fashion, where appropriate, different data and information types • Ensure that data and information managed by partners and CGIAR Centers are more equally accessible • Develop services that add value to the basic data and information

Should it be limited to CGIAR's knowledge only. Cann't it include local information from other sources as well. The univeristies, indegenous knowledge, etc. Can we generate a common middle-ware where scattered sources of information can plug in abiding to common standards.

Contents are well articulated. Most of the issues are covered in the above analysis. Application part at beneficiaries/users level is very week. How we can we make accountable to use such information/knowledge at Local level. Some time Public private partnership venture at Local level would he helpful to sustain the approach. How long we will be able to provide free access. Therefore, local ownership and investment is molt important. Another sustainable approach would be linking up such initiatives at local agriculture university courses. by Ekanath Khatiwada SNV Sudan