25th CODATA General Assembly 2006

Beijing, 26-27 October 2006

The General Assembly considered the evolving draft of a CODATA Strategic Plan, arising from the ICSU Priority Area Assessment review on Scientific Data and Information discussed at the preceding General Assembly. The existing draft was not considered final, since it required further consultation with ICSU and CODATA Members, but the General Assembly passed a number of resolutions confirming adoption of specific initiatives proposed in the draft (the Global Information Commons for Science Initiative, the Scientific Data Across the Digital Divide Program, and the Advanced Data Methods and Information Technologies for Research and Education (ADMIRE) project). Resolutions were also passed recommending the establishment of an Associates Member programme (to encourage individual scientists and data professionals to become active long-term contributors to CODATA activities) and an Endowment and Gift Fund; and recommending various advisory committees to the Executive to assist in the development of the Strategic Plan. The final version of the Strategic Plan, following review and implementation of the actions of these resolutions, will be circulated to the General Assembly for endorsement by Postal Ballot.

Beyond the administrative affairs of CODATA, the main function of the General Assembly is the appointment or re-confirmation of Task Groups or Working Groups charged with furthering the objectives of CODATA. Because financial support may be provided, and because the groups act as a visible face of CODATA activities, they report to and are elected by the General Assembly. The Task Groups approved by the 25th General Assembly for the period 2006-2008 are as follows (those marked with an asterisk are continuations of existing Task Groups):

• Access to Biological Collection Data *
• Anthropometric Data and Engineering *
• Comprehensive Information System on Natural Disaster Mitigation
• Data on Natural Gas Hydrates *
• Data Sources for Sustainable Development in South African Development Community (SADC) Countries
• Data Sources in Asian-Oceanic Countries *
• Fundamental Constants *
• Global Species Data Networks *
• International Polar Year Data Policy and Management Subcommittee
• Preservation and Archiving of Scientific and Technical Data in Developing Countries *

The Officers of CODATA through the next General Assembly are

President	Krishan Lal (India; 2006-2010)
Vice-Presidents	Steve Rossouw (South Africa; 2006-2010)
	Gordon Wood (Canada; 2006-2010)
Secretary General	Robert Chen (USA; 2004-2008)
Treasurer	Jean-Jacques Royer (France; 2004-2008)
Ordinary Members (2006-2008):
	Jean Garnier (IUPAB; biology/bioinformatics)
	Sara Graves (USA; geoinformatics)
	Huadong Guo (China; Earth science)
	Fedor Kuznetsov (Russia; chemistry)
	Ray Norris (IAU; astronomy)
	Antoni Nowakoski (Poland; biomedical informatics)
	Michel Sabourin (Canada; psychology)
	Mikhail Zgurovsky (Ukraine; mathematics)

Ireland and Georgia were formally welcomed as new National Members of CODATA. Germany and France have become Associate National Members pending reconstitution of national committees with an action plan to raise enough revenue to satisfy the payment of full National Member dues.

Brian McMahon
CODATA Representative