[OWW-Discuss] Share your lab notes, long term archive of OWW

[Tom Knight]

With MD5 or better hashes of the data, and well known techniques for 
hash-merging and publication, the technical problem of assuring dated 
unforgeable records was solved 10 years ago.   We just need to 
implement well known solutions to these problems.

We don't need a third party to authenticate records.  The records, and 
the public irrevocable and untamperable disclosure (in print, e.g. in 
the NY Times)  of a daily hash are sufficient.

  Internet Archive (www.archive.org) will gladly store our records.  It 
is a drop in the bucket compared to what they are storing every day.  
Brewster Kahle (who runs it) is a personal friend, but that wouldn't 
make it more likely to happen.


On May 6, 2007, at 1:48 PM, John Cumbers wrote:

> I think that this is where the future funding of OWW could come from.  
> Could we think about formalizing (or publisizing if it already happens 
> on a regular interval) a  dump of the OWW database.    Furthermore, is 
> there an organization out there that would store a physical copy of 
> the dump, e.g on a tape backup, DVD, HD.  A body independent of OWW 
> that could authenticate the data has not been tampered with in cases 
> of fraud.  Other organizations must be thinking about this too.  
> Probably something we don't want to do now, but this could form the 
> basis of a long-term grant in the future.
>
> this also relates to a recent post about Wiki's not being a reliable 
> source for patent cases.  I'd say that we could turn them into a 
> reliable source if we implemented a policy such as that above.
>
> Best,
>  John
>
>
> http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v447/n7140/full/447001b.html
>
> Nature 447, 1-2 (3 May 2007) | doi:10.1038/447001b;  Published online 
> 2 May 2007
>
> Share your lab notes
>
> The use of electronic laboratory notebooks should be supported by all 
> concerned.
>
> Institutions therefore need to show leadership in this area, and 
> funding agencies should provide additional infrastructure support 
> earmarked for the development and upkeep of electronic notebook 
> systems. Funding agencies also need to recognize that, by providing 
> such support, some of the concerns over the loss of data can be 
> assuaged, and the rigour and transparency of publicly funded research 
> will be improved.
>
> -- 
>  John Cumbers,  Graduate Student
> Biology and Medicine
> Brown University, Box G-W
> Providence, Rhode Island, 02912, USA
> Tel USA: +1 401 523 8190,  Fax: +1 401 863-2166
> UK to USA: 0207 617 7824_______________________________________________
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