There is a stark reality to the current methods of storing data from academic research; None of them are actually very good. It’s a minefield of security risks which must be weighed up against the accessibility of an academic database.
Unfortunately security has to come first, usually. The intellectual property value of research can make it imperative that it’s not compromised while other issues surrounding confidential information is often another obstacle.
This means that research data might end up stashed away in data archives, only to see the light of day when hardware upgrades are due.
While in theory this data can be accessed by request, it’s not plainly obvious who will actually know it is there other than the researchers themselves.
Cloud storage is an effective means of sharing data directly but there lies an inherent issue with centralized solutions; it is impossible for researchers to guarantee the safety of data stored on a cloud network.
A DAG ARCHITECTURE OFFERS A NEW TYPE OF ACADEMIC DATABASE
What the CyberVein network offers researchers most crucially is a secure data storage solution. The findings of a study are stored on a distributed ledger and made private so selected parties can be given read-only privileges.
This data can later be made available to the wider public if desired by changing the permissions of access to the datasets. Meanwhile, a select few will be able to modify or add data in a transparent series of ledgers which shows the entire history of edits.
It’s possible that the factor which will most likely lead to widespread adoption is ease of use. So this begs the question: how easy is it for academics to choose the CyberVein network for their precious research data, and what incentive do they have for doing so?
BETTER COLLABORATION, MONETARY REWARDS
Within the academic fields, trying to reproduce studies is problematic without open access to raw data. International collaboration projects can also be made much more complex when trying to efficiently and safely share data.
A DAG-based network, however, opens up a possibility to near-instantly share information to any corner of the world and, beyond this, could allow research institutes to look more closely at studies from anywhere else through unfettered access to the raw data.
This should be incentive enough for most researchers: any field stands to benefit from a conducive environment to repeat testing and a more reliable process to validate hypotheses and theories.
There are other incentives, though, mainly in the form of CyberVein Tokens (CVT). Highly desirable data can be purchased using micropayments of the crypto tokens — at a small cost to the buyer — which for popular studies offers a new stream of revenue for academics, who currently mostly rely on research grants.
Do not underestimate the potential value of this mechanism; the need to lobby for fundinghas changed the face of many academic fields and sometimes forces researchers into lines of enquiry which they do not always feel is most valuable.
MODERNIZING THE ACADEMIC DATABASE COULD USHER IN AN INFORMATION BOOM
Opening up raw research data to the wider world of academia means that the nature of how results are exchanged and tested could be changed forever. It encourages collaboration and immeasurably helps academics in the reproducing and corroboration of results.
The CyberVein network on a DAG architecture fosters trust in data — it cannot be manipulated discreetly by anyone — all the while ensuring that relevant parties can gain access.
Along with inbuilt incentives for sharing research data, it could be the first time that academic fields truly move towards becoming a worldwide collaborative effort.
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The CyberVein Team
