Difference between revisions of "Paleoclimate Data Standards"
(re-organized to make this more PDS, not just the PDS workshop) |
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= Background = | = Background = | ||
− | Modern life would simply be unlivable without standards. You only have to travel to a country that uses a different electric plug | + | == Why do we need standards? == |
+ | This is a bit like asking why we need water. The ultimate objective so that it is reproducible and understandable by others. | ||
+ | Modern life would simply be unlivable without standards. Imagine needed a separate browser for each web page your visit, or a a separate power-transmission system for every appliance you use! You only have to travel to a country that uses a different electric plug to appreciate this. A key objective of LinkedEarth is to promote the development of a community standard for paleoclimate data. | ||
+ | == What is a standard? == | ||
+ | [http://www.earthcube.org/document/2015/ecstandardsrecs EarthCube defines] a standard as follows: | ||
+ | ''a public specification documenting some practice or technology that is adopted and used by a community'' | ||
− | + | There is a continuum starting with any documented practice in some community. If lots of people use a particular documented practice it could be adopted as a best practice. If almost everyone uses some documented practice, then it is a de facto standard''. | |
− | = | + | = Prior Work = |
− | + | Despite some ad-hoc gatherings among communities of interest, until recently there has never been a concerted effort to produce a standard applicable to all paleoclimate observations. Given the increased importance of synthesis work (e.g. PAGES2k, Shakun et al 2012, Marcott et al 2013, MARGO, others), it is increasingly important that a common solution be found. | |
+ | |||
+ | The Linked Paleo Data ([http://linked.earth/projects/lipd/ | ||
+ | LiPD]) format embodies one aspect of such a solution: it offers a container that can wrap tightly around a wide varieties of [[:Category:Dataset ©|datasets]], which closely mirrors our ontology, provides a stepping stone for this effort. Building on this, the [[:Category:PDS workshop 2016 | 2016 workshop on paleoclimate data standards]] served as a stepping stone to initiate a broader process of community engagement and feedback elicitation to generate a community-vetted standard. The workshop identified the necessity to distinguish a set of essential, recommended and desired properties for each dataset. A consensus emerged that these levels are archive-specific, as what is needed to intelligently re-use a marine-annually resolved record could be quite different than what is needed to intelligently re-use an ice core record, for instance | ||
+ | |||
+ | = Process for achieving a paleoclimate data standard= | ||
+ | |||
+ | Attendees of the [[:Category:PDS workshop 2016 | 2016 PDS workshop]] proposed that archive-centric working groups (WGs; self-assembled coalitions of knowledgeable experts) would be best positioned to elaborate and discuss the components of a data standard for their specific sub-field of paleoclimatology. It is also critical to ensure interoperability between standards to enable longitudinal (multiproxy) investigations. | ||
This process contributes to the data stewardship initiative of our PAGES/Future Earth partners. Therefore, we are working together with PAGES to reach out to the broadest cross-section of paleoscientists and invite them to contribute to the process. The end goal is a standard to be precisely documented and adopted by LinkedEarth and PAGES. The standard will be implemented in all LinkedEarth activities and proposed for adoption to EarthCube, the Research Data Alliance, the Federation of Earth Science Information Partners, NOAA WDS-Paleo and Pangaea. | This process contributes to the data stewardship initiative of our PAGES/Future Earth partners. Therefore, we are working together with PAGES to reach out to the broadest cross-section of paleoscientists and invite them to contribute to the process. The end goal is a standard to be precisely documented and adopted by LinkedEarth and PAGES. The standard will be implemented in all LinkedEarth activities and proposed for adoption to EarthCube, the Research Data Alliance, the Federation of Earth Science Information Partners, NOAA WDS-Paleo and Pangaea. | ||
− | = Publications = | + | = Standard Publications = |
+ | Once the community has spoken on these matters, the decisions will be summarized in a publication. | ||
+ | In the internet age, a standard can be a web-based document that details all the specifications pertaining to a technical matter. However, to encourage participation and promote transparency, the LinkedEarth team decided that the standard should be published in a '''crowd-sourced peer-reviewed publication'''. Anyone contributing to the discussion on developing standards for paleoclimatology (either during our [http://linked.earth/event/paleoclimate-ontology-workshop/ workshop on paleoclimate data standards], on the wiki, or teleconference) will be included in the list of authorships. | ||
A scholarly product will be a peer-reviewed publication presenting the standard and detailing the decisions that led to it. Pursuant to PAGES policies, authorship will be extremely inclusive and acknowledge all scientific input into the process. | A scholarly product will be a peer-reviewed publication presenting the standard and detailing the decisions that led to it. Pursuant to PAGES policies, authorship will be extremely inclusive and acknowledge all scientific input into the process. |
Revision as of 04:09, 22 February 2017
Contents
Background
Why do we need standards?
This is a bit like asking why we need water. The ultimate objective so that it is reproducible and understandable by others. Modern life would simply be unlivable without standards. Imagine needed a separate browser for each web page your visit, or a a separate power-transmission system for every appliance you use! You only have to travel to a country that uses a different electric plug to appreciate this. A key objective of LinkedEarth is to promote the development of a community standard for paleoclimate data.
What is a standard?
EarthCube defines a standard as follows: a public specification documenting some practice or technology that is adopted and used by a community
There is a continuum starting with any documented practice in some community. If lots of people use a particular documented practice it could be adopted as a best practice. If almost everyone uses some documented practice, then it is a de facto standard.
Prior Work
Despite some ad-hoc gatherings among communities of interest, until recently there has never been a concerted effort to produce a standard applicable to all paleoclimate observations. Given the increased importance of synthesis work (e.g. PAGES2k, Shakun et al 2012, Marcott et al 2013, MARGO, others), it is increasingly important that a common solution be found.
The Linked Paleo Data ([http://linked.earth/projects/lipd/
LiPD]) format embodies one aspect of such a solution: it offers a container that can wrap tightly around a wide varieties of datasets, which closely mirrors our ontology, provides a stepping stone for this effort. Building on this, the 2016 workshop on paleoclimate data standards served as a stepping stone to initiate a broader process of community engagement and feedback elicitation to generate a community-vetted standard. The workshop identified the necessity to distinguish a set of essential, recommended and desired properties for each dataset. A consensus emerged that these levels are archive-specific, as what is needed to intelligently re-use a marine-annually resolved record could be quite different than what is needed to intelligently re-use an ice core record, for instance
Process for achieving a paleoclimate data standard
Attendees of the 2016 PDS workshop proposed that archive-centric working groups (WGs; self-assembled coalitions of knowledgeable experts) would be best positioned to elaborate and discuss the components of a data standard for their specific sub-field of paleoclimatology. It is also critical to ensure interoperability between standards to enable longitudinal (multiproxy) investigations.
This process contributes to the data stewardship initiative of our PAGES/Future Earth partners. Therefore, we are working together with PAGES to reach out to the broadest cross-section of paleoscientists and invite them to contribute to the process. The end goal is a standard to be precisely documented and adopted by LinkedEarth and PAGES. The standard will be implemented in all LinkedEarth activities and proposed for adoption to EarthCube, the Research Data Alliance, the Federation of Earth Science Information Partners, NOAA WDS-Paleo and Pangaea.
Standard Publications
Once the community has spoken on these matters, the decisions will be summarized in a publication. In the internet age, a standard can be a web-based document that details all the specifications pertaining to a technical matter. However, to encourage participation and promote transparency, the LinkedEarth team decided that the standard should be published in a crowd-sourced peer-reviewed publication. Anyone contributing to the discussion on developing standards for paleoclimatology (either during our workshop on paleoclimate data standards, on the wiki, or teleconference) will be included in the list of authorships.
A scholarly product will be a peer-reviewed publication presenting the standard and detailing the decisions that led to it. Pursuant to PAGES policies, authorship will be extremely inclusive and acknowledge all scientific input into the process.