Workshop on the Future of Observatories in the Social Sciences, December 2010

该奖项为将于2010年12月在华盛顿大都会区举办的关于社会科学观测站未来的讲习班提供支持。 讲习班将召集一个专家组，讨论社会观察站网络如何促进科学进步，以及如何最好地设计这样一个网络以实现这一目标。 讲习班将审议附属于现有物理科学观测站或独立选址的社会科学观测站网络对促进科学研究的潜在价值;此类观测站选址的标准;可通过观测站收集的数据;以及数据存储和数据访问问题。 为讲习班准备的材料包括一份关于现有物理和环境科学观测站的背景文件，以及对社会科学研究现有数据来源的严格审查，过去为建立物理和生态观测站网络做了大量工作。 在参与这些努力的人中，人们越来越感到需要社会和经济数据来补充目前正在收集的物理观测。 此外，有人认为，社会观察站网络可以提供必要的基础设施，支持社会科学领域重要的新的跨学科研究。 通过为建立一个社会观察站网络提供一个蓝图的开端，预计该讲习班将对人类-环境研究产生初步影响，并对社会科学的跨学科研究产生长期影响。 向更广泛的社区传播的计划包括在讲习班结束时编写一篇期刊文章。

This award provides support for a workshop on the future of observatories in the social sciences, to be held during December 2010 in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. The workshop will convene a group of experts to discuss how a network of social observatories might contribute to the advancement of science and how such a network might best be designed to meet this objective. The workshop will consider the potential value of a network of social science observatories, either attached to existing physical science observatories or sited independently, for advancing scientific research; criteria for siting such observatories; data that could be collected through the observatories; and data storage and data access issues. Materials to be prepared for the workshop include a background paper on existing physical and environmental science observatories and a critical review of existing sources of data for social science research.There has been considerable past work to develop networks of physical and ecological observatories. Among those involved with these efforts, there is a growing sense that social and economic data are needed to augment the physical observations presently being collected. In addition, it has been argued that a network of social observatories could provide the infrastructure necessary to support important new interdisciplinary research within the social sciences. By providing the beginnings of a blueprint for the establishment of a network of social observatories, this workshop can be expected to have an initial impact on human-environment research and a longer-term impact on interdisciplinary research in the social sciences. Plans for dissemination to the broader community include a journal article to be prepared at the conclusion of the workshop.