Much of the research done by the UAI community involves real-world databases, but there is a problem for researchers involved with restricted-access data. Suppose that the owner of a database (not me) has invested a large amount of money to build it, and s/he, therefore, wants to maintain control of how the database is used. In particular, s/he does not want the world to have unrestricted access to it. This creates a problem for me, for if I publish a paper based on this database, and I am asked by people in the research community for copies of the database in order for them to verify my published results, I will have to refuse. But this refusal would place me in a very embarrassing position, and it could considerably reduce the value of my research. This is not a hypothetical scenario. I have been presented with the opportunity to analyze such a database; therefore, I would welcome any suggestions from those who have been confronted with a similar situation. Regards Richard ------------------------------- Richard Dybowski PhD Research Fellow (Knowledge & Data Engineering) King's College London Medical Informatics Laboratory (Department of Medicine) 4th Floor North Wing St Thomas' Hospital Lambeth Palace Road London SE1 7EH UK Tel (office): (0)20 7928 9292 extension 6429 Tel (mobile): 0976 250092 Fax: +44 (0)20 7928 4458 E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Web site: http://www.umds.ac.uk/microbio/richard/richard.htm {Note: Currently using e-mail address [EMAIL PROTECTED] whilst link to Internet is being established in my new office at St Thomas' Hospital}
