The DATA-X Pioneering Research Data Exhibition provides a dynamic platform for University of Edinburgh researchers across all Schools to  join forces and present their work to audiences from within and outside the university.

Context

The research community are continuously producing digital data in a myriad of forms. The ways in which data are captured, organized, interpreted, presented and stored are often invisible and complex to comprehend to the public and peers. Evolving technologies and data-rich, researcher-driven environments provide new opportunities to share, publish and communicate research results. This broadening of access to and availability of research data can be used to engender new research ideas and open up avenues for collaboration, further leveraging the value of a research investment.

The DATA-X exhibition aims to demystify the world of research data through diverse, dynamic and data-driven ‘installations’ and explore how data is transforming our world. Limited only buy imagination researchers will bring their data and ideas to life through collaborative data ‘installations’. The ‘installations’ are aimed at impacting the public and your peers directly through a creative exhibition. ‘Installations’ can take the form of hand on demonstrations, digital sculptures, simulations, performances, interactive exhibits, 3D structures, machinery, visualisations.

1. Workshops

A series of ‘engagement’ workshops informed and shaped the exhibition providing an opportunity for PhD researchers to network and collaborate with peer researchers from across the university with resultant dynamic multidisciplinary teams forming to produce new ‘installations’ linked to digital data. Teams were encouraged to explore synergies in a supportive, interactive and fun environment to find new ways to visualise, materialise and communicate their research data that is both accessible and inspirational for peers and to non-experts audiences.

Workshops were held on 18 May and 29 June on the central campus (School of History, Classics and Archaeology, Old Medical School Building, William Robertson wing (Teviot Place) and on 15 June in JCMB on the King’s Buildings campus.

2. Exhibition Launch & Publication

The DATA-X exhibition will showcase innovative research data installations and demonstrate cross-disciplinary outcomes that will act as tangible research outputs in their own right. The DATA-X Exhibition will run from 28 Nov. – 6 Dec. 2016 in the Sculpture Court in the Main Building of ECA, and will be accompanied by an exhibition catalogue.

Teams worked through summer and autumn 2016 to develop and contract their ‘installation’ with a view to presenting and demonstrating tools, technologies, processes and techniques at the Pioneering Research Data Symposium (see programme for details). This event will be informal and an open forum to facilitate discussion with a range of academic and non-academic audiences.

Project Management

DATA-X, funded by the Information Services (IS) Innovation Fund, will be managed by the Data Library, a service that provides local researchers with support for finding, accessing, using and managing research data. Exposure to both research workflow and resultant output will inform both Data Library and broader Research Data Service initiatives about diverse Research Data Management (RDM) practises and how future services can be developed and tailored to meet university, funder and researcher needs.

Support

Data-X is supported by The Data Lab, ASCUS | Art & Science, and University of Edinburgh Information Services.