© ©RDNE, Pexels

Data management in DAM research missions

Tasks

Research data management (RDM) within the DAM research missions is supported and accompanied by the DAM core area ‘Data Management and Digitalisation’. Under the roof of the core area, a working group has been set up with experts and coordinators who are actively involved in the management of research data within the CDRmare, sustainMare and mareXtreme research missions. The aim of the working group is to exchange information on areas of activity in the field of research data management within and outside the missions, to coordinate new activities and to create synergies. The group also promotes the implementation of the DAM research data guideline. This includes establishing the concepts of FAIR data management in the DAM research missions and supporting quality-checked publications of research data in open, certified data repositories. Researchers are informed about RDM activities and data infrastructures through dedicated online and face-to-face services, and understanding of the FAIR principles in dealing with research data is promoted.

Recommendations for research data management

The working group was established at the start of the first DAM research missions in 2021. Initially, existing structures in research data management were analysed and the necessary personnel capacities and activities to support science in the sustainable handling of research data were identified. This resulted in recommendations that promote effective research data management. The recommendations are aimed at scientists applying for DAM research missions and contain the following key statements:

  • Ideally, applications should include a work package on data management, a data management plan, and an appropriate budget for data management. This ensures that the project objectives (e.g. data products) and the requirements of the funding bodies (e.g. data management plan and data publications) are taken into account.
  • Early contact with certified data repositories is recommended, especially for large amounts of data and complex data preparation.
  • During the project phase, important supporting measures include a mission-wide research data policy, the data management plan, and (meta) data management systems (e.g. OSIS – Ocean Science Information System).
  • During the course of the project, all research data will be published in suitable repositories wherever possible. All project partners should plan for person-months for this purpose. The publication of the data is a prerequisite for its appearance in the catalogue of the German Marine Data Portal and enables its reuse, e.g. in a viewer (see section “German Marine Data Portal” below).

The complete recommendations for research data management for DAM research missions and consortia are published here.

Events

For researchers involved in DAM research missions, the members of the working group regularly offer online and face-to-face events on topics such as the fair handling of research data, the use of existing data infrastructures and data management tools for German marine research (e.g. OSIS, German Marine Data Portal) and data archiving in various data repositories (e.g. PANGAEA, WDCC, Qualiservice). To accompany the mission meetings, the working group offers contributions tailored to the needs of researchers, such as lectures, poster presentations, workshops and information stands.

Selection of contributions and resources

Screenshot of the Naval Munitions Data Compilation (CONMAR project). The image shows modelled TNT concentrations based on the GETM physical model, overlaid with the water sampling stations used to monitor explosive-type compounds (STV). | ©CONMAR

German Marine Research Data Portal

The German Marine Data Portal serves as a central access point to data from the marine research community and thus also to valuable research data from DAM research missions. To this end, various repositories are harvested by the German Marine Research Data Portal (including PANGAEA and WDCC). The members of the working group are in contact with the DAM research missions to ensure and improve the visibility of the research data in the German Marine Data Portal. If necessary, it is possible to connect additional repositories to the data portal. The currently available data sets from the DAM research missions can be accessed via the following link.

The data portal also offers the option of creating individual viewers, thereby further increasing the visibility of research data. An excellent example is the ‘Marine Munition Data Compilation’ viewer, which was created as part of the sustainMare joint project CONMAR.

Members of the working group

DAM core area ‘Data Management and Digitalisation’

  • TBA (Head of Core Area)

Centre for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen

  • Dr. Flavia Höring (PANGAEA / Underway Research Data, Working Group Leader)

Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research

  • Dr. Astrid Wittmann (PrimePrevention / mareXtreme)

  • Dr. Janine Felden (PANGAEA)
Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency

  • Dr. Christian Senet (ElbeXtreme / mareXtreme)

GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel
  • Dr. Hela Mehrtens (GEOMAR Data and Sample Management)

  • Marcus Krüger (CONMAR / sustainMare)

  • Roberto Benavides (MULTI-MAREX / mareXtreme)
Helmholtz Centre Hereon

  • Marie Ryan (Hereon Data Management)

  • Kai Hoppe (sustainMare)

Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde
  • Dr. Manja Placke (RETAKE / CDRmare)
Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology

  • Dr. Anneke Heins (CREATE / sustainMare)

Technical University of Braunschweig

  • Dr. Dzulia Terzijska (TU Braunschweig Data Management)

  • Annika Klein (METAscales / mareXtreme)

Share this page

Our Sponsors

The federal government and the governments of the five northern German states support the current development and sponsor the DAM.