Comments on: Merck Murky Data http://abhishek-tiwari.com/2009/03/merck-murky-data.html In the spider-web of facts, many a truth is strangled Fri, 20 Jan 2012 22:16:44 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= By: abhishektiwari http://abhishek-tiwari.com/2009/03/merck-murky-data.html/comment-page-1#comment-8478 abhishektiwari Wed, 25 Mar 2009 03:18:31 +0000 http://abhishek-tiwari.com/2009/merck-murky-data/#comment-8478 That's true, rather than creating a SAGE they could have just donated it to NCBI. We can just hope now that sooner or later there will be some open data. That’s true, rather than creating a SAGE they could have just donated it to NCBI. We can just hope now that sooner or later there will be some open data.

]]> By: miked98 http://abhishek-tiwari.com/2009/03/merck-murky-data.html/comment-page-1#comment-8477 miked98 Wed, 25 Mar 2009 01:12:10 +0000 http://abhishek-tiwari.com/2009/merck-murky-data/#comment-8477 Abhishek - Nice post with a healthy dose of skepticism. While I also applaud Merck for their announcement of a data commons -- it's a long way to creating one. I believe that the folks behind the SAGE initiative are earnest in their goals, but open-ness isn't a trait typically associated with Big Pharma. Nor necessarily should it be. As someone who worked at NCBI, I can say that they have done an admirable job creating this kind of scientific commons -- through Pubmed, Genbank, GEO (microarray DB), etc. It's not perfect, but NCBI's goals will never conflict with its commitment to democratizing data. Abhishek – Nice post with a healthy dose of skepticism. While I also applaud Merck for their announcement of a data commons — it’s a long way to creating one. I believe that the folks behind the SAGE initiative are earnest in their goals, but open-ness isn’t a trait typically associated with Big Pharma. Nor necessarily should it be.

As someone who worked at NCBI, I can say that they have done an admirable job creating this kind of scientific commons — through Pubmed, Genbank, GEO (microarray DB), etc. It’s not perfect, but NCBI’s goals will never conflict with its commitment to democratizing data.

]]> By: abhishektiwari http://abhishek-tiwari.com/2009/03/merck-murky-data.html/comment-page-1#comment-8476 abhishektiwari Sun, 08 Mar 2009 20:35:03 +0000 http://abhishek-tiwari.com/2009/merck-murky-data/#comment-8476 I could not agree more, "if the data was useful, in a few weeks you would start seeing bioinformaticians releasing software capable of mining it" thats very true. Surprisingly this whole thing is making news in Nature. I don't know what to say. I could not agree more, “if the data was useful, in a few weeks you would start seeing bioinformaticians releasing software capable of mining it” thats very true. Surprisingly this whole thing is making news in Nature. I don’t know what to say.

]]> By: niewiap http://abhishek-tiwari.com/2009/03/merck-murky-data.html/comment-page-1#comment-8475 niewiap Sun, 08 Mar 2009 19:49:55 +0000 http://abhishek-tiwari.com/2009/merck-murky-data/#comment-8475 What you say is absolutely true. I want to see the actual data before I praise Merck for their "bold" decision. I wonder how really "available" the data will be and what kind of tools they will create. If they were really doing it as a charitable act, they would just make their databases accessible from the internet, and publish a simple API to access the data in its entirety. I am sure that if the data was useful, in a few weeks you would start seeing bioinformaticians releasing software capable of mining ir. Instead, Merck wants to make the tools themselves, so they can fully control what's being done to the data and by whom, and to regulate access depending on what makes most sense to them. We will have to wait and see how useful to the non-profit scientific community this project will actually turn out to be. It is not unconceivable that both Merck and academic science can benefit from this venture, but it is too early to say. What you say is absolutely true. I want to see the actual data before I praise Merck for their “bold” decision. I wonder how really “available” the data will be and what kind of tools they will create. If they were really doing it as a charitable act, they would just make their databases accessible from the internet, and publish a simple API to access the data in its entirety. I am sure that if the data was useful, in a few weeks you would start seeing bioinformaticians releasing software capable of mining ir. Instead, Merck wants to make the tools themselves, so they can fully control what’s being done to the data and by whom, and to regulate access depending on what makes most sense to them. We will have to wait and see how useful to the non-profit scientific community this project will actually turn out to be. It is not unconceivable that both Merck and academic science can benefit from this venture, but it is too early to say.

]]> By: Abhishek Tiwari http://abhishek-tiwari.com/2009/03/merck-murky-data.html/comment-page-1#comment-8479 Abhishek Tiwari Fri, 06 Mar 2009 14:54:15 +0000 http://abhishek-tiwari.com/2009/merck-murky-data/#comment-8479 <span class="topsy_trackback_comment"><span class="topsy_twitter_username"><span class="topsy_trackback_content">Merck Murky Data: After my last controversial post Data Vendetta, I was trying to keep away from writing anythin.. http://tinyurl.com/axshwb</span></span> Merck Murky Data: After my last controversial post Data Vendetta, I was trying to keep away from writing anythin.. http://tinyurl.com/axshwb

]]> By: abhishektiwari http://abhishek-tiwari.com/2009/03/merck-murky-data.html/comment-page-1#comment-8474 abhishektiwari Fri, 06 Mar 2009 10:00:51 +0000 http://abhishek-tiwari.com/2009/merck-murky-data/#comment-8474 thanks, just want to pull the leg, when things publicize in an exaggerated and often misleading manner thanks, just want to pull the leg, when things publicize in an exaggerated and often misleading manner

]]> By: dalloliogm http://abhishek-tiwari.com/2009/03/merck-murky-data.html/comment-page-1#comment-8473 dalloliogm Fri, 06 Mar 2009 09:48:04 +0000 http://abhishek-tiwari.com/2009/merck-murky-data/#comment-8473 Cool... thank you for reporting it! Cool… thank you for reporting it!

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