Whether it’s using Twitter to study and monitor civil unrest in the Middle East, applying image-archiving to fields as diverse as radiology and media studies, or crowdsourcing information from people all over the globe to better understand some of the world’s most cosmopolitan cities, the times they are a-changin’.
 
Data sharing RISPAnd that makes it a propitious time to be a researcher — one filled with exciting new technological opportunities and challenges, said Arash Naeim, assistant vice chancellor for research and an associate professor in residence in UCLA’s Department of Medicine.
 
Naeim and Jim Davis, vice provost for information technology and a professor in chemical and biomolecular engineering, are leading a strategic planning group for the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Office of Information Technology to position UCLA as an emerging leader in the field of research informatics and technology over the next decade. Research informatics refers to the collection, classification, storage, sharing, analysis and interpretation of research data electronically.
 
"We are on the cusp of unprecedented capability for new insights, understanding and solutions to the world’s grand challenges with the intersection of large amounts of data, a mobile data device in the hands of much of the world’s population and the computational capability to analyze," said Davis.
 
For the past six months, the planning group has been meeting with faculty from across campus to identify themes from which to jumpstart the kinds of informatics that will support UCLA researchers. To date, nine themes have been identified. The team is already coordinating existing resources to address near term and laying the foundation for a formal strategic plan, but recognizes that there are countless, untapped sources for ideas and suggestions across this campus.
 
To get the creative juices flowing, the group is sponsoring a campuswide contest to identify the most creative and constructive applications and ideas for using data. Now through Jan. 31, UCLA students, staff and faculty members are invited to share their most innovative ideas for using data to achieve new capabilities. Four iPads minis will be awarded for the best ideas, to be decided by a campus vote. Each participant may submit up to three ideas.
 
Contest information is available online.
 
"Given that data informatics is about drawing upon the data, insights and creativity of the community, the contest is itself a demonstration of the power of community informatics," said Davis.
 
With a research enterprise of more than $1 billion, it is critical for UCLA to put a strategic plan in motion that will draw on the skills and expertise of our students, staff and faculty to accelerate activity and foster new growth and partnerships. "It’s not only an opportunity — it’s a necessity," said Naeim, adding that UCLA has already fallen behind some academic institutions that have been quicker to invest resources in research and information technology. "We need to accelerate our efforts and build capacity."
 
UCLA’s Information Technology Planning Board recognized this important trend a number of years ago and has taken steps to advance the university’s footing, said Davis. Helping in this endeavor is a 2010 Clinical Translational Science Award given to UCLA by the National Institutes of Health. The award includes up to $10 million that is specifically earmarked for bioinformatics, with a focus on building a medical research data repository, implementing an electronic clinical trial management system and fostering collaboration and educational interaction.
 
There are many benefits to having a strategic plan of this kind, said Naeim. Not only does it allow UCLA to compete for grants at a higher level, it also fosters cross-campus collaboration on cutting-edge, innovative research. And it may enhance educational opportunities for students and offer opportunities for better communication and sharing campus IT talent.
 
"Part of the goal in having a cross-campus wide strategic plan is that the left hand can see what the right hand is doing," said Naeim. "We need to work collectively, synergistically, collaboratively to make things happen."