Environmental Change Network

	Raw Data Access
	Summary Data
	AWS Data
	Environmental Indicators
	Publications and data use
	Weekly photos
	Modelling water quality
	1999 Eclipse

ECN Data Policy

1. Ownership

The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) holds Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) for all ECN data jointly with each participant, participants having equal IPR with NERC for their own sites’ data. NERC and participants whose data are being requested must both authorise data access for ECN applications, except where otherwise legally required. Data originators retain exclusive rights to ECN data collected at their own sites for applications outside the remit of ECN.

2. Data Access and Licensing

2.1 ECN Core Data:

ECN core data - i.e. data collected at the resolutions specified by the protocols - may only be released under the written authority of both the originating organisation (through a nominated representative) and NERC, except where otherwise legally required. A standard ECN form licensing use of the data must be signed before access is provided. The licence form specifies conditions of use, including non-transfer of data to third parties and acknowledgement of ECN in all documents and products arising from the data. Licences are normally granted for a period of 1 year.

2.2 ECN Summary Data:

ECN summary data are freely available, but subject to the conditions of use stated in the ECN licence agreement. These conditions are repeated on the ECN summary data access pages. Users must pass through this page to progress with the database access system, and they accept the conditions by the act of pressing the CONTINUE button. Users and use are logged by email and IP address.

3. Charging Policy

No charge is made for access to ECN summary data. For access to its core data, ECN follows the NERC charging policy (NERC, 1996). In summary, this means that charging rates are dependent upon type of use. Bona-fide scientific research is charged at no more than the direct costs involved in making the data available (the ‘handling charge’). Bona-fide research covers work which is conducted solely to advance the state of knowledge and not for commercial gain; results must be published in the public domain. ECN sponsoring organisations are exempt from this charge for research which is considered to be applicable to the ECN programme. Charges and licensing relate to a "right to use the data", and not to any transfer of IPR.

References:

NERC (1999) NERC Data Policy Handbook Version 2.1. NERC Scientific Services: Swindon.

V2, 7th December 1999