UK Physical Sciences Data Infrastructure (PSDI) initiative

This presentation discusses the UK Physical Sciences Data Infrastructure initiative (PSDI), the tools, systems and stakeholders involved and the role of national co-ordination in the evolution of the research landscape.

In the modern age the research landscape is a complex web of systems, tools and stakeholders at an individual, institutional, regional, national and international level. Each level is subject to tensions, which are often at odds with the priorities in other levels. The barriers to the evolution of scientific research are not only the technical hurdles, there is also a significant social and financial aspect and co-ordination between the different systems is a necessity.

The PSDI aims to accelerate research in the physical sciences by providing a data infrastructure that brings together and builds upon the various data systems researchers currently use. This project is currently in its exploratory phase and thus far work has been conducted in the areas of data capture, process recording and orchestration, data collections and transforming data to knowledge. This presentation will report on the initial findings of this research and the role PSDI could play in the physical sciences community.