INTEROP: Building Information Sharing Networks to Support Consumer Choice ( I-Choose)

奖项：0955935PI：Theresa A.PardoTitle：Interop：Building Information Sharing Network to Support Consumer Choice(i-Choose)北美自由贸易区(NAFTA)内消费的大多数产品都是通过低成本供应链生产和分销的，这些供应链通常不会向最终消费者透露某些类型的信息。如果没有这些信息，消费者很难评估他们购买的产品的质量，或者行使他们对安全、环境可持续和经济公正的产品和服务的偏好。如果没有一种有效、值得信赖的方式来告知消费者，生产商提供此类商品的动机也要小得多。为了提供有关如何、何时以及由谁生产制成品的完整信息，生产商、供应链运营商和第三方认证机构将需要就数据架构达成一致，该架构可以促进来自生产系统、供应链分销系统和用于确定符合自愿和政府强制产品标准的系统的信息的交换和共享。该项目将创建i-Choose；这是一个数据互操作性框架，以支持提供关于商品是如何、在哪里以及由谁制造和推向市场的广泛信息。这包括有关？Green？的信息。供应链、生产方法、向供应链中的生产者或工人支付的工资、工作条件、环境影响以及有关产品的广泛其他信息都可以提供给消费者。将通过一系列建立共识活动的多阶段迭代过程，产生一个旨在实现互操作性的数据架构。这些活动将包括参与墨西哥咖啡生产并在加拿大和美国分销的利益相关者，以及来自信息科学、计算机科学、经济学和政治学领域的研究人员。我们将探索与三种特定信息系统的互操作性：(1)由政府监管机构设计和维护的系统；(2)由消费者权益倡导者使用社交网络技术设计和维护的系统；以及(3)生产商、供应链或零售系统中个别公司的专有数据系统。I-Choose数据互操作性网络将是史无前例的，因为它将涉及消费者、生产商、政府监管机构以及跨多个领域和国家的供应链/分销。它将允许更多的信息进入市场交易，使消费者能够做出更明智的决策，最大限度地提高他们的具体效用偏好，并通过市场机制而不是繁琐的监管来协调这些利益相关者群体的战略。这些不同的利益相关者将合作创建一系列技术产品，这些产品的粒度和特殊性(本体、分类法、数据体系结构)不断增加，以支持互操作性，同时逐步扩大他们的网络。这一进程的结果将是一个完全形成的研究和实践网络，以及通过所有相关利益攸关方团体的协商一致产生的一套高质量的成果，从而确保信息系统最大限度地实现互操作性。通过构建和扩展i-Choose获得的知识将为未来的广泛合作提供信息，指导如何创造一个值得信赖的环境，在这种环境中，合作和竞争的激励是互补的，而不是相互排斥的。这项研究与已经在试验新的合作形式的广泛行为者有关，例如北美自由贸易协定地区的劳工、环境和农业部门和机构、感兴趣的立法者、企业、工会、环保非政府组织、消费者团体和农业协会。

Award: 0955935PI: Theresa A. PardoTitle: INTEROP: Building Information Sharing Networks to Support Consumer Choice (I-Choose)Most products consumed within the North American Free Trade Area (NAFTA) are produced and distributed through low cost supply chains that typically do not reveal certain types of information to end consumers. Without this information it is difficult for consumers to assess the quality of the products they buy or exercise their preferences for safe, environmentally sustainable, and economically just products and services. Producers also have much less of an incentive to provide such goods without an effective, trustworthy way to inform consumers. In order to provide full information about how, when, and by whom manufactured goods were produced, the producers, supply chain operators, and third party certifiers will need to agree on a data architecture that can facilitate exchange and sharing of information that comes from production systems, supply chain distribution systems, and systems used to determine compliance with voluntary and government-mandated product standards. This project will create I-Choose; a data interoperability framework to support the provision of a wide range of information about how, where, and by whom commodities are manufactured and brought to market. This includes information about ?green? supply chains, production methods, wages paid to producers or workers in the supply chain, working conditions, environmental impact, and a wide range of other information about the products can be delivered to consumers. A data architecture designed to enable interoperability will be generated through a multi-stage iterative process of sequential consensus building activities. These activities will include the stakeholders involved in Mexican coffee production for distribution in Canada and the US, along with researchers from the fields of information science, computer science, economics, and political science. We will explore interoperability with three types of specific information systems: (1) Those designed and maintained by government regulators, (2) Those designed and maintained by consumer advocates using social networking technologies, and (3) proprietary data systems from individual firms in the producer, supply chain, or retail systems. The I-Choose data interoperability network will be unprecedented in nature as it will involve consumers, producers, government regulatory agencies and supply chain/distribution across multiple domains and countries. It will allow more information into market transactions allowing consumers more informed decision-making that maximize their specific utility preferences and align the strategies of these stakeholder groups through market mechanisms rather than through cumbersome regulation. These diverse stakeholders will collaborate to create a series of technical products of the increasing granularity and specificity (ontology, taxonomy, data architecture) necessary for supporting interoperability while gradually expanding their network. The result of this process will be a fully-formed research and practice network and a high quality set of deliverables produced through the consensus of all relevant stakeholder groups, thus ensuring maximum interoperability of information systems. The knowledge gained through constructing and expanding I-Choose will inform a wide range of future collaborations in terms of how to create a trusted environment where incentives for collaboration and competition are complementary, not mutually exclusive. The study is relevant for a wide range of actors who are already experimenting with new forms of collaboration such as labor, environment, and agriculture departments and agencies in the NAFTA region, interested legislators, businesses, trade unions, environmental NGOs, consumer groups, and agricultural associations.