e-Infrastructure survey

Procter, Rob and Meyer, Eric (2018). e-Infrastructure survey. [Data Collection]. Colchester, Essex: UK Data Archive. 10.5255/UKDA-SN-852630

This project is part of a portfolio of work being conducted of the National Centre for e-Social Science (NCeSS) to investigate the application of new grid technologies in the social sciences. The project will build an e-Infrastructure on the UK National Grid Service (NGS) to provide integrated access to a variety of resources for social science research, including datasets, tools, services and easy-to-use user environments. Specifically, it will:
(1) make available new, powerful, easy-to-use research tools and services which will reduce the effort needed to integrate and re-use datasets, and simplify the way that research is currently carried out; (2) provide a testbed for the development of metadata and service registries, tools for user authorisation and authentication, and user portals and collaborative virtual user environments; (3) lay foundations for an integrated strategy for the future development and support of e-infrastructure and services, and produce a road-map that identifies the human, technical and financial resources required to pursue the strategy;
(4) leverage infrastructure investment being made by UK e-Science core programme and JISC for the benefit of the Social Sciences; (5) promote synergies across NCeSS and other ESRC investments, co-ordinate activities, encourage mutual support and identify areas in which to promote the benefits of common policies and technology standards.

Data description (abstract)

This collection consists of a survey(N=526, 398 variables) answered by academic researchers interested in e-Research. There is a general perception that the social science community lacks a sufficient level of awareness of e-social science, and that this had a braking effect on the take-up of advances in ICTs as tools for social research. Many e-Social Science initiatives have been launched around the world, but little is known about their visibility and take-up across the disciplines.
Are social scientists aware of e-research initiatives? What are the characteristics of early adopters of e-social science practices and technologies? In order to explore these questions, we fielded a Web-based survey instrument in early 2008. It sought to describe the ways in which social scientists use software tools to enable research, and to measure attitudes and awareness of developments in e-Research. The topics focused on: (1) perceived impacts on the quality of research, (2)the use and usability of e-research tools and (3)funding.
Survey respondents reflected those interested in e-social science, providing some evidence of where early adoption is likely to occur, and the factors relating to support for these initiatives. Early adoption and interest in e-research practices represent a wide range of methodological traditions, but we found that those most interested in e-research tend to be among a cohort of more recent graduates of doctoral programs.

Data creators: