Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720;
Energy & Resources Group, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2020 Sep 22;117(38):23490-23498. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2001682117. Epub 2020 Sep 8.
The foundation of the scientific method rests on access to data, and yet such access is often restricted or costly. We investigate how improved data access shifts the quantity, quality, and diversity of scientific research. We examine the impact of reductions in cost and sharing restrictions for satellite imagery data from NASA's Landsat program (the longest record of remote-sensing observations of the Earth) on academic science using a sample of about 24,000 Landsat publications by over 34,000 authors matched to almost 3,000 unique study locations. Analyses show that improved access had a substantial and positive effect on the quantity and quality of Landsat-enabled science. Improved data access also democratizes science by disproportionately helping scientists from the developing world and lower-ranked institutions to publish using Landsat data. This democratization in turn increases the geographic and topical diversity of Landsat-enabled research. Scientists who start using Landsat data after access is improved tend to focus on previously understudied regions close to their home location and introduce novel research topics. These findings suggest that policies that improve access to valuable scientific data may promote scientific progress, reduce inequality among scientists, and increase the diversity of scientific research.
科学方法的基础是获取数据，但这种获取往往受到限制或成本高昂。我们研究了数据获取的改善如何改变科学研究的数量、质量和多样性。我们使用大约 24000 篇由 34000 多名作者发表的 Landsat 论文样本，以及近 3000 个独特的研究地点，考察了美国宇航局 Landsat 计划（地球遥感观测时间最长的记录）卫星图像数据的成本降低和共享限制减少对学术科学的影响。分析表明，数据获取的改善对 Landsat 支持的科学的数量和质量产生了实质性的积极影响。改善的数据访问还通过使发展中国家和低排名机构的科学家能够使用 Landsat 数据发表论文，从而使科学民主化。这种民主化反过来又增加了 Landsat 支持的研究的地理和主题多样性。在数据获取改善后开始使用 Landsat 数据的科学家往往会关注其所在地附近以前研究较少的地区，并引入新的研究课题。这些发现表明，改善有价值科学数据获取的政策可能会促进科学进步，减少科学家之间的不平等，并增加科学研究的多样性。
