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Nov 7, 2024
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Tackling Data Challenges and Unveiling New Indicators

Nov 7, 2024

Written by Ioanna Grypari and Leonidas Pispiringas

Our last MONITOR Community Call a few weeks ago invited a diverse group of participants to explore the applications of the OpenAIRE MONITOR service in supporting and facilitating Open Science and research assessment. The call covered an array of topics, including data quality challenges and upcoming indicators. 

Our guest speaker, Katie Bannon, a Senior Information Officer at the World Bank, shared her team's experience working towards a World Bank OpenAIRE MONITOR Dashboard.  She emphasised its potential in advancing data-driven decision-making and evaluating progress towards Open Science standards. Katie highlighted the significant insights offered by merging data from diverse sources. However, she acknowledged that challenges related to data accuracy and interoperable metadata exist, but added that these could be effectively addressed through collaborative efforts and robust data quality solutions.

In the same vein, the OpenAIRE team, led by Ioanna Grypari and Leonidas Pispiringas focused on enhancing transparency in research. They detailed the journey of data within OpenAIRE, from its inception into the OpenAIRE Graph via the OpenAIRE Provide service, through to its ultimate manifestation as measurable metrics and indicators on the OpenAIRE MONITOR. The team also tackled common data quality issues and shared OpenAIRE's strategy for managing them, specifically highlighting the OpenAIRE Guidelines and the OpenOrgs service.

"In creating the OpenAIRE MONITOR, we've learned that the journey from raw data to actionable metrics is as important as the end result. It's not just about numbers, but about ensuring data quality, overcoming interoperability challenges, and truly understanding the underlying science." Leonidas Pispiringas, Technical Communication Expert, OpenAIRE

Further, the team unveiled a series of new composite indicators for the MONITOR Dashboard. These include metrics for openness, findability, and FAIRness scores for organisations, as well as societal impact indicators informed by the UN Sustainable Development Goals and indicator breakdowns by Fields of Science domains and topics. The team also offered a glimpse into future additions, such as indicators based on citations, article processing charges (via OpenAPC which is incorporated into the OpenAIRE Graph), Horizon Europe project indicators, and Plan S compliance tracking, all of which is scheduled for implementation by Fall 2023.

“Indicators are vital tools for interpreting research performance. With the right indicators, we can transform raw data into a meaningful narrative, facilitating more informed and impactful decision-making in the realm of research funding and Open Science.” - Ioanna Grypari, Technical Project Manager Athena Research Center


Stay tuned for more exciting developments from the OpenAIRE MONITOR team as we continue to provide comprehensive data on research activities and impact. Join us for the next community call to learn more!

Get started with your own dashboard: https://monitor.openaire.eu/get-started 

Watch the recording of our last Community Call here.