Speaker
Description
ILIFU is the isiXhosa word for Cloud, an apt representation of the first node in the data infrastructure funded by the Department of Science and Technology to support the National Integrated Cyberinfrastructure System of South Africa. This presentation will provide an overview of the ILIFU model of shared infrastructure as a data-intensive research facility for big data management, storage and analysis. It will focus primarily on the Research Data Management (RDM) component of the project from conception to its current level of operationalisation.
The current progress will be shared with the community to raise awareness of the RDM project, its methodology and its structure. The overall project has a strong emphasis on the development of policies and guidelines to assist researchers who will be working on the data intensive infrastructure. The project is also developing a Work Integrated Learning programme to enable the placement of postgraduate students and mid-career personnel with the various projects in order to assist with the implementation of the RDM policies and guidelines as well as gaining work experience in data science. Significantly, the RDM research project fulfils an important additional function in support of institutional capacity building across participating institutions, where project findings will serve to promote institutional policy and service development.
The presentation will offer insights into data governance, the challenges and opportunities of the ILIFU RDM project, and the interaction between scientists and information professionals in building an African data infrastructure.
