“We Have Just Entered the Wright Brothers Phase of the Digital Era”: Data Management and Practice in the eResearch Era

Abstract

Universities around the world are looking to improve the infrastructure that supports their eResearch. However, infrastructure means more than just high quality ICT. While supercomputing facilities and high speed internet connections are crucial components for successful eResearch, also important is the availability of trained technical staff to support researchers in both complex applications and networking. Sound data management practices are also vital to ensure that all research project data is both readily accessible to researchers on demand and safeguarded for the long term, so that the data can be revisited by the original research team, or eventually made available to other researchers.