CODATA International Training Workshop on Scientific Big Data and Machine Learning

CODATA China and the Computer Network Information Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences are organizing an international training workshop on “Scientific Big Data and Machine Learning” in Beijing from 9-20 September 2019. Supported by CODATA, CODATA China has successfully held similar training workshops since 2012 and this is the 5th event in the series. The training course is funded by the Chinese Academy of Science and qualified applicants will receive full support for travel to Beijing as well as their subsistence and accommodation when at the workshop.

Participants in the Training Workshop will also attend the CODATA 2019 Beijing Conference: Towards next-generation data-driven science: policies, practices and platforms.  Applicants are encouraged also to submit a paper or poster for the conference.

The deadline for applications is 11:59 pm CST (UTC+8) on 30 May.

Objective

Due to advances in information technology, we are witnessing an explosion in digital data through all forms of human activity: much of this data can also contribute to the production of knowledge for all domains of enquiry and across domains, as well as providing essential information for decision-making in response to global challenges such as sustainable development, disaster risk reduction, climate change, the growth of cities, the maintenance of biodiversity etc., etc. In order to meet the many global challenges and to take advantage of the opportunities of the data revolution, it is imperative to develop global skills and capacity in the science of data.

The mission of CODATA, the Committee on Data of the International Science Council, is to support the advancement of science as a global public good by promoting improved research data management and use, and by advancing data science and the enhanced exploitation of data in all areas of scientific research. Building data science capacity in countries with developing and emerging economies (in part through promoting technical training in data science, in data management and in the implications of the data revolution for science) is an important part of CODATA’s strategy.

The training program offered aims to engage participants with a number of facets of data science and data management in the age of the data revolution and Big Data. Topics include, but are not limited to,

• Basic data science skills (e.g. Introduction to data infrastructures in CAS, data carpentry, data management plan)
• Machine learning and data driven scientific discovery
• Scientific data policies, good practices, norms, specifications and standards
• Selected disciplinary scientific data stewardship exemplars (e.g. geoscience, biology, genomics, astronomy, etc)

A number of activities will be organized involving elite Chinese scientists, in order to promote knowledge sharing and to develop opportunities for future exchanges and collaboration. Participants will benefit also from visits to a number of leading research institutes of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). During these visits, participants will have the opportunity to learn from the scientific approach, management expertise, knowledge development and practical application which characterize activities at CAS institutes working at the frontiers of research. Furthermore, the program will promote interaction and exchange of knowledge between experts and participants and among participants who will benefit greatly from exchanges with colleagues for a variety of academic and national backgrounds.