Summary of Highlights and Outcomes for Year 2 of the NSF Project “EAGER: The FAIR Island Project for Place-based Open Science”
Major Goals of the Project
- Develop and adopt a place-based data policy for Tetiaroa Ecostation and create a generalized data policy for other field stations.
- Adapt and prove the capabilities of networked Data Management Plans (DMPs) for field stations.
- Demonstrate the benefits of FAIR data policies and workflows to stakeholders at the field station.
Accomplishments
- Data Policy Development: Both the generic and Tetiaroa-specific data policies were moved to GitHub, enabling transparent version control and issue tracking. V1.0.0 of the Generic Data Policy was published on Zenodo, with the current stable release being V1.0.2.
- Networked DMPs: Tested DMPs for various projects, such as Island Sampling Day. Enhanced DMPTool with features to link multiple grants and add repositories. Began pilot projects to create DataCite metadata for research projects.
- Field Station Dashboard: Developed a wireframe for an institutional dashboard on DataCite Commons to visualize field station impacts. Worked with Ted Habermann to curate project metadata, creating a PIDgraph with Tetiaroa Society at the center.
Significant Results
- Project Metadata: Successfully used DataCite metadata to connect resources (people, data, organizations) with related identifiers, creating a visualized network of research outputs.
- Engagement Expansion: Expanded engagement to other sites, initiating a pilot with six UC Davis-managed UCNRS sites.
Opportunities for Training and Professional Development
- Erin Robinson led a hands-on course on Data and Communication at UC Berkeley’s Island Sustainability Program, resulting in students creating comprehensive data management plans.
Dissemination of Results
- Results were shared through various meetings and conferences, including the UCNRS Managers Meeting, AGU Fall Meeting, NISO Plus Annual Meeting, and others.
- Published blogs and presentations to document and share project processes and outcomes.
Next Steps
- Data Policy Adoption: Expand the adoption of data policies within the Tetiaroa Ecostation community and potentially among Gump Station researchers.
- Networked DMPs: Create boilerplate text for DMPs, link DMP-IDs to DataCite records, and require DMPs in project planning phases.
- Field Station Dashboard: Continue to refine and populate the dashboard with project metadata, link resources to project metadata, and engage with the wider research community to share tools and learnings.
Impact
- Discipline Development: The project demonstrated linking researchers and research outputs through persistent identifiers, contributing to synergizing open science principles with Indigenous Data Governance principles.
- Institutional Resources: Improved the quality and availability of information about research activities at field stations.
- Societal Impact: Promoted public access to government-funded research, advancing the overall public good.
Challenges and Future Plans
- Integration Issues: Continued efforts to maintain and enhance system integrations.
- Next Phase Goals: Expand data policy adoption, enhance networked DMPs, further develop the field station dashboard, and increase community engagement.
Key Personnel and Contributors
- John Chodacki (PD/PI): Oversight of grant activities, project planning, and data policy development.
- Maria Praetzellis: Coordinated technical aspects and advised on data policies.
- Catherine Nancarrow: UCNRS liaison, project planning advisor, and editorial consultant.
- Brian Riley: Technical development of DMPTool.
- Matthew Buys (Co PD/PI): Oversight of DataCite activities and strategic planning.
- Neil Davies (Co PD/PI): Provided access to field stations, led the Field Station Advisory Group.
- Erin M Robinson (Co PD/PI): Coordinated project activities, developed presentations, and maintained data policy infrastructure.