T16 The Past, Present, and Future of the Digital Data Revolution and Its Effect on the Geosciences

Sunday, 15 October 2023
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
335

LEVERAGING DATA SYSTEMS TO PROPEL AN OPEN GEOSCIENCE DATA LIFECYCLE

Paper number: T16-12
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 10:20 AM – 10:40 AM

Authors

Abstract

Geoscience data hold immense potential for scientific advancement, sustainable resource management, and informed decision-making. To fully unlock this potential, enhanced discoverability and accessibility of geoscience data is needed. Nevertheless, this endeavor comes up against various challenges, including the prevalence of data silos, proprietary formats, and inconsistent data management practices.

Addressing these obstacles calls for the adoption of open data policies that stimulate data sharing and collaboration among researchers, resulting in accelerated scientific discoveries and heightened reproducibility. The key to ensuring data quality and interoperability lies in the rigorous enforcement of data curation and standardization practices. The use of controlled vocabularies, adherence to metadata standards, and implementation of data quality assessments are fundamental in optimizing data usability.

To facilitate seamless data exchange, data repositories and synthesis infrastructures must adhere to established and emerging data principles and best practices. Data repositories uphold essential guiding principles, which highlight the need to safeguard sensitive geoscience data, respect data ownership, and promote proper data citation and attribution. Preserving data and ensuring its long-term accessibility constitute vital missions of repositories, acknowledging the immense value of historical geoscience data in shaping future research. Downstream from repositories, data syntheses and portals function as centralized hubs for geoscience data. They provide integrated and interactive tools for data discovery and access which highly increase data reusability and facilitate metastudies.

By actively promoting data openness, adhering to data principles, and embracing collaborative approaches, the geoscience community can effectively surmount data challenges, expedite scientific progress, and contribute substantially to addressing global challenges, such as climate change, natural hazards, and sustainable resource management. Ultimately, the establishment of an open and FAIR data sharing culture will not only yield significant benefits for researchers but also empower society at large with invaluable geoscience knowledge.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 55, No. 6

doi: 10.1130/abs/2023AM-392872

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