Mind the Gap: Big Data vs. Interoperability and Reproducibility of Science

The global landscape in the management and use of geospatial data is changing rapidly reconfiguring the traditional lines of demand and supply, and the actors involved. In the Big Data era, the opportunities are many but so are the challenges at the different levels. In this chapter, we situate the Big Data discussion in the context of the scientific method in a world of contested politics, in which science can no longer be seen as "neutral". We argue for a more open and participative science. Science reproducibility is not just about experiment repeatability but also about the transparency of the process leading to a shared outcome. Opening up science will need a major paradigm shift, including also an underpinning information infrastructure geared towards sharing data, information and knowledge across disciplinary boundaries. The Global Earth Observation System of System (GEOSS) was used as a case study. As we show, there is an increasing gap between the rapidity of technological progress and the slow pace of the organisational and cultural change needed to address interoperability, reproducibility and legitimacy challenges effectively.