Manifesto
As scientists, we work with data collected from instruments. We analyse and summarise these data and we study how variables (time, temperature, concentration, …) affect these summary values to try and develop or test an hypothesis. The hypothesis can be a model in our heads or a computer programme or some statistical relationship which we visualise as a charts or graphs.
We search for what other scientists have done and read their work. We write up our own conclusions and publish them for other people to read and we go to meetings and talk about what we believe to be true. We store information, data, documents, charts and references and we argue with others in our field. We make extensive use of highly specialised (and expensive) software installed on our desktop computers to do this.
I’d like to do all of this on-line, in one place, from wherever I am. I’d like to be able to share all or parts of what I do with some or all of my colleagues, when I am ready. I want to easily handle different file formats and put the data in tables. I’d like to do all kinds of mathematical and statistical analyses, try data mining or build simulations. I’d like to visualise my data in lots of ways and write summaries with references to relevant work by other people. I want my data and ideas archived permanently and securely. I want easy access to data, software services and big computers “in the cloud”. For things I do regularly, I want to string lots of services together to automate my work and make life easier. I want to know who else is doing relevant work and be able to work with one or more people on different projects, regardless of where those people are. I want to write my papers without repeating what I have already done and, when I am ready, I want to publish my work so anyone can use my data and ideas. Sometimes I want my data and ideas to be private and confidential to me and a few others. Sometimes, such as when I publish, I want it open, transparent and reproducible. Even when it is to be published, I want some time to look at it in private, to make sure I have done the work carefully.
I want to do all that, and other things I haven’t thought of yet, and if I share what I am doing, I want it for free.
That’s why we created InkSpot
