[Air-L] do we need an aoir data archive

[jeremy hunsinger]

I brought this up on twitter yesterday.   Perhaps it is time for AoIR to start an archive of data for current and future use.  My thought is that right now many researchers have access and rights to share significant bits of data, and many do not have access.  As I've said elsewhere, i don't actually think you can do peer reviewable research without providing access to the data that generated that research, and given that I have reviewed several papers based on proprietary information they could not release..., I'm thinking that we need to find ways of getting our data out there in the spirit of community and to promote scholarly quality.     I also think having a neutral nonprofit holding the information would make it far easier for people to get information shared from corporations.  

However, that i see the need and others have agreed here and there, I think it is time to have a discussion.  Personally, I know that I could set the infrastructure up without issue.   The website in theory has close to unlimited storage space, though downloads would need to be limited as we have limited processor speed.   There are also legal issues, copyright issues, and codebook issues that would need to be sorted out.  

so do we need something like this?  and if so or if not, why or why not?  


Jeremy Hunsinger
Center for Digital Discourse and Culture
Virginia Tech


Words are things; and a small drop of ink, falling like dew upon a thought, produces that which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think. --Byron