[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 70 (Wednesday, April 14, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19643-19644]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-07585]


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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION


Request for Information; Datasets To Conduct Research on Computer 
and Network Systems

AGENCY: National Science Foundation.

ACTION: Request for information.

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SUMMARY: The Division of Computer and Network Systems of the National 
Science Foundation seeks public input from the research community on 
the specific needs for datasets to conduct research on computer and 
network systems.

DATES: Please send comments on or before 5:00 p.m. Eastern time on May 
21, 2021. Submit comments via the SurveyMonkey link found in the 
``Instructions to Submitters'' below.

ADDRESSES: Email comments to: Dr. Nicholas Goldsmith, AAAS Science & 
Technology Policy Fellow at [email protected]. Send written submissions 
to: Division of Computer and Network Systems, National Science 
Foundation, 2415 Eisenhower Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22314. Submit 
comments via https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RFIDCLSurvey.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Contact Dr. Alex Sprintson, NeTS 
Program Director at [email protected] or Dr. Nicholas Goldsmith, AAAS 
Science & Technology Policy Fellow at [email protected] or call (703)-
292-8950.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The ubiquity, structure, and use of 
communication networks and computing systems have changed dramatically 
over the last decade. The technology trade-offs that have enabled these 
networks and systems are becoming increasingly more complex with 
convergence across computer systems (spanning mobile, edge, fog, and 
cloud computing, etc.), application accelerators, distributed systems, 
network stacks, wireless systems, and wired network domains, thereby 
decreasing the efficacy of traditional model-based approaches. As a 
result, researchers are increasingly relying on machine learning and 
other data-intensive techniques to lead the development of next-
generation, high-performance networks and computer systems. This 
necessitates the availability of representative datasets that can 
inform such research. Furthermore, representative datasets will enable 
the Networking Technology and Systems (NeTS) and Computer Systems 
Research (CSR) communities to contribute to innovations in Advanced 
Wireless and Artificial Intelligence, both of which have been 
identified as strategic priority areas for the Nation.
    Addressing current and future research areas may require access to 
specific types of datasets that capture a broad range of practical 
settings and navigate through a complex set of design trade-offs. 
Researchers utilizing machine learning and other artificial 
intelligence techniques may need large, labeled data to use as training 
and testing sets, to test algorithms and protocols that they have 
developed, or to assess the viability of their design methodologies. 
More generally, datasets can motivate research questions or identify 
areas to target in future work. Equitable access to data is also 
essential for replicable and reproducible research.
    Additionally, identification of the specific dataset needs of the 
research community may motivate the collection of specific new types of 
data or the creation of new tools for accessing and analyzing data. 
Existing or future NSF infrastructure investments, such as the 
Platforms for Advanced Wireless Research (PAWR), may be important 
venues for collecting the identified data.
    This Request for Information (RFI) seeks input from the community 
on the specific needs related to collecting, sharing, and utilizing 
public or private datasets for networking and computer systems 
research, and any challenges associated with each. The input could 
identify requirements for datasets that may include, but are not 
limited to, spectrum data, physical layer data, network and internet 
measurement data, workload data, power/performance data, and other 
systems data. NSF recognizes that some datasets currently exist but is 
interested in needs that are not currently met by these existing 
datasets, conventions or formats that may broaden the usability of the 
data, and

[[Page 19644]]

ways in which additional high-quality datasets may be made available to 
the research community. NSF is interested in assessing where research 
progress is slowed due to the lack of datasets that may either already 
exist or can be generated using existing infrastructure (including NSF-
funded infrastructure). NSF may use the responses to this RFI to inform 
and refine future investments.

Instructions to Submitters

    NSF invites individuals and groups of individuals to provide their 
inputs via the online submission form (link below). The submission form 
requires the following information:
     Contact person name and affiliation.
     Valid contact email address.
     Additional author name(s) and affiliation(s).
     Research domain(s), discipline(s)/sub-discipline(s) of the 
author(s), including either NeTS, NeTS-Wireless, or CSR.
     Title of the response.
     Abstract (maximum 200 words) summarizing the response.
     Question 1 (maximum 1000 words)--Data Needed for Research. 
State whether or not your research requires datasets. If your research 
requires datasets, describe whether or not you have access to the 
needed datasets with sufficient quality; and describe what type of data 
would address your current need for datasets if it is not being met. 
NSF is interested in where the lack of datasets and/or the quality of 
datasets may be holding back research, what datasets would help take 
research to the next level, and the proportion of researchers that have 
a need for datasets.
     Question 2 (maximum 600 words)--Ability to Contribute. 
Describe the type of datasets you may be able to contribute to the 
research community and any barriers to making these datasets available 
to the research community over at least a seven-year period.
     Question 3 (maximum 600 words)--Privacy. Describe the 
concerns, either as a user and/or a data provider, that you may have in 
maintaining and ensuring data privacy, in anonymizing data, and in the 
effects of data anonymization on data quality. Specific ideas to 
address data privacy and anonymization concerns are also welcome.
     Question 4 (maximum 600 words)--Format and Metadata. 
Describe any suggested formats or standards with which datasets should 
conform. Describe the types of metadata which should be included with 
data, as well as particular parameters of concern in the data 
collection or generation.
     Question 5 (maximum 600 words)--Other Considerations. Any 
other relevant aspects that need to be addressed; or any other issues 
that NSF should consider, such as where such datasets may exist (e.g. 
Federal agency, industry, service providers, international partners) 
and intellectual property concerns.
     Checkbox to consent to NSF's use and display of the 
submitted information, consistent with the Creative Commons 
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License 
(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode). NSF 
anticipates making submissions publicly accessible through a website.
    To respond to this RFI, please use the official form available at 
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RFIDCLSurvey. We recommend writing out 
your responses in a separate document, and then pasting them into the 
response fields on the form.
    NSF will use the information submitted in response to this RFI at 
its discretion and will not provide comments to any responder's 
submission. The information provided will be analyzed, may appear in 
reports, and may be shared publicly on agency websites. Respondents are 
advised that the government is under no obligation to acknowledge 
receipt of the information or provide feedback to respondents with 
respect to any information submitted. No proprietary, classified, 
confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your 
response. The government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary 
technical information in any resultant solicitation(s), policies, or 
procedures.

    Authority: 42 U.S.C. 1861 et al.

    Dated: April 8, 2021.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2021-07585 Filed 4-13-21; 8:45 am]
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