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Science 7 May 2004:
Vol. 304. no. 5672, pp. 827 - 828
DOI: 10.1126/science.1099290
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Essays on Science and Society

Also see the archival list of the Essays on Science and Society.

BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER:
"A Vast Machine": Standards as Social Technology

Paul N. Edwards

Universal standards for measuring, recording, and transmitting data are crucial components of the global meteorological observing system, allowing data collected at one place and time to be compared meaningfully with data collected elsewhere and/or at other times. Without these standards, we would be unable to detect global climate change. In his essay, Edwards charts the evolution of global weather data standards since the 1850s. Many standards have gradually been embodied in automatic instruments and computer programs, but enforcing standards nevertheless requires substantial discipline on the part of humans and institutions. Since the 1980s, climate politics have provoked much controversy over data quality, sometimes resurrecting debates that these standards were intended to settle.

The author is at the School of Information, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA. E-mail: pne{at}umich.edu

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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
New Knowledge from Old Data: The Role of Standards in the Sharing and Reuse of Ecological Data.
A. S. Zimmerman (2008)
Science Technology Human Values 33, 631-652
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Raising Standards in Semen Analysis: Professional and Personal Responsibility.
L. BjoRndahl, M. Tomlinson, and C. L. R. Barratt (2004)
J Androl 25, 862-863
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