Data and analysis note: A new type of article for Water Resources Research

Abstract

Water Resources Research (WRR) is pleased to announce a new type of article, the data and analysis note, which will fill a gap in current AGU publications. The purpose of this new type of manuscript is to describe data sets, analysis procedures, and algorithms that are of interest and significance to a segment of the profession but are too specialized and extensive to publish in toto in WRR. The casual network that historically has permitted data to be shared on an informal basis among investigators in a particular subdiscipline of water resources is no longer a sufficient method of distributing data. The many investigators spread around the world, the large quantity of scientific data, the costs of maintaining and increasing the quality of the data, and the increasing use of a variety of data by nonspecialists have made it increasingly difficult to share data adequately on an informal basis. A wide variety of international, national, and program‐oriented data centers have been organized over the past quarter century to archive data. Nonetheless, important data sets are often unknown or inaccessible to many potential users. Furthermore, many scientists expend considerable effort and resources to obtain and reduce data to usable form, but for a variety of reasons do not bring these data to a stage where the scientific results merit journal publication. Thus the scientist receives little or no recognition for producing a widely used data set. Similarly, geoscientists who develop well‐documented algorithms, analysis procedures, and instrumentation often receive limited recognition for their efforts. The products resulting from the diligent efforts of these scientists may not be widely known and disseminated. To alleviate the problems outlined above, WRR is instituting a new type of manuscript called the “data and analysis note.” Copyright 1994 by the American Geophysical Union.