1. The document discusses tips and tools for data stewardship, including planning for data management, best practices for data collection and organization, documenting workflows, creating metadata, and sharing data. 2. It emphasizes writing a data management plan, keeping raw data separate and secure, using version control and backups, and revisiting plans periodically. 3. The document encourages learning skills for data management, using resources like libraries and repositories, and embracing changes that support more open and reproducible science.

1. Data Stewardship
Carly Strasser
California Digital Library
carlystrasser@gmail.com
SPATIAL / IsoCamp
June 2014
Tips & Tools

2. FromFlickrvialibrarianinsta.tumblr.com
I am not a
librarian.
But I do work
at a library.

4. Enable data
sharing
Encourage
new
incentives
Think about
code sharing
Work with libraries,
publishers and
researchers
Explore new
tools to help
change
system
Build
tools

5. Why are
you here?
Science: you’re (probably)
doing it wrong

6. Back in the day…
Da Vinci
Curie
Newton
classicalschool.blogspot.com
Darwin

7. Research has
changed
Better

8. From wikimedia
Such
Internet!
So many
tools!
From Flickr by John Jobby
So much
data!

9. Research has
changed
Worse

10. Digital data
FromFlickrbyFlickmor
FromFlickrbyUSArmyEnvironmentalCommand
FromFlickrbyDW0825
C. Strasser
CourteseyofWHOI
FromFlickrbydeltaMike

11. Digital data
+
Complex workflows

12. Scientists are bad at
data management.

13. An embarrassing
example…
From Flickr by lincolnblues

16. ?

17. From Flickr by ransomtech
Didn’t share the data
Didn’t document the data (metadata)
Didn’t document provenance/workflow

18. From Flickr by ransomtech
Reproducibility
Transparency
Reuse
NO

19. From Flickr by johntrainor
Why should I care?

20. Because reproducibility* is one of
the fundamental tenets of science.
*reproducibility: being able to go from data to figures/results
not reproducibility: independently verifiable via following same
techniques.

21. Because reproducibility is one of
the fundamental tenets of science.
Because we need to be credible.

23. Because reproducibility is one of
the fundamental tenets of science.
Because we need to be credible.
Because Fox News, creationism,
and the war on science.

24. “Help us identify grants that are wasteful
or that you don’t think are a good use of
taxpayer dollars.” !
Rep. Adrian Smith (R-Nebraska), a member of the House Committee on Science
and Technology

25. Because reproducibility is one of
the fundamental tenets of science.
Because we need to be credible.
Because Fox News, creationism,
and the war on science
Because it means faster progress.

27. Because you are a good person.

28. From Flickr by Redden-McAllister
From Flickr by Ken Cowell
From Flickr Brandi Jordan

29. Open Science
Making
data
research
dissemination
available to all

30. flowingdata.com
Map of Scientific Collaborations

31. Because you have to.

32. Journals
Institutions
Funders
From Flickr by Eva Rinaldi Celebrity and Live Music
Photographer

33. … “Federal agencies investing in research and
development (more than $100 million in annual
expenditures) must have clear and coordinated
policies for increasing public access to
research products.”
Feb
2013

34. 1. Maximize free public access
2. Ensure researchers create data
management plans
3. Allow costs for data preservation and
access in proposal budgets
4. Ensure evaluation of data management
plan merits
5. Ensure researchers comply with their data
management plans
6. Promote data deposition into public
repositories
7. Develop approaches for identification and
attribution of datasets
8. Educate folks about data stewardship
From Flickr by Joe Crimmings Photography

35. From
Flickr
by
Michael
Tinkler

36. data management
FromFlickrbyBigSwedeGuy
Best
Practices

37. From Flickr by Mark Sardella
Plan before data collection

38. • Create a key (data dictionary)
• Make sure names are unique
• Define codes
FromFlickrbyzebbie
Planning
Design sample naming scheme

39. PhDcomics.com
Planning
Design file naming scheme

40. Use descriptive file names
• Unique
• Reflect contents
From
R
Cook,
ESA
Best
Practices
Workshop
2010
Bad:
Mydata.xls
2001_data.csv
best version.txt
Better:
Eaffinis_nanaimo_2010_counts.xls
Site
name
Year
What was
measured
Study
organism
*Not for everyone
*
Planning
Design file naming scheme

41. Biodiversity
Lake
Experiments
Field work
Grassland
Biodiv_H20_heatExp_2005to2008.csv
Biodiv_H20_predatorExp_2001to2003.csv
…
Biodiv_H20_PlanktonCount_2001toActive.csv
Biodiv_H20_ChlAprofiles_2003.csv
…
From S. Hampton
Planning
Design file organization
Consider…
• Dependencies?
• File formats?
• Time of collection?
• Order of analysis?

42. Planning
Constrain entries
Atomize
Break down spreadsheets
Design your spreadsheet

43. A relational database is
A set of tables
Relationships among the tables
A language to specify & query the tables
A RDB provides
Scalability: millions+ records
Features for sub-setting, querying, sorting
Reduced redundancy & entry errors
From Mark Schildhauer
Planning
Consider a database

44. You should invest time in learning databases if
your data sets are large or complex
Consider investing time in learning databases if
your data are small and humble
you ever intend to share your data
you are < 30 years old
Planning
From Mark Schildhauer
Consider a database

45. Store your data in a repository
Institutional archive
Discipline/specialty archive
Pick a data repository
From Flickr by torkildr
Ask a librarian
Repos of repos:
databib.org
re3data.org
Planning

46. FromFlickrbysepasynod
From Flickr by taberandrew
From Flickr by withassociates
What software?
What hardware?
What personnel?
How often?
Set up reminders!
Test system
Decide on preservation/backup
Planning

47. …document that
describes what you will
do with your data
throughout
the research project
From Flickr by Barbies Land
Write a data
management plan!
Planning

48. DMP components
But they all have
different requirements
and express them in
different ways
• What will be collected
• Methods
• Standards
• Metadata
• Sharing/access
• Long-term storage
Planning
From Flickr by Barbies Land

49. Step-by-step wizard for generating DMP
create | edit | re-use | share
Free & open to community
dmptool.org
Planning

50. During Data Collection & Entry
From Flickr by Julia Manzerova

51. Realistically:
• Archive .csv version of raw data
• Make a “raw” tab in working data file
• Do all work on other tabs
During
collection
Keep raw data raw

52. Raw data as .csv
R script for processing & analysis
During
collection
Ideally:
• Use scripts to process data
• Save them with data
Keep raw data raw

53. During
collection
Document your workflow
Temperature
data
Salinity
data
Data import into Excel
Analysis: mean, SD
Graph production
Quality control &
data cleaning
“Clean” T
& S data
Summary
statistics
Data in
spread-
sheet
Workflow: how you get from the raw data to the final
products of your research
Simple workflow: flow chart

54. During
collection
Workflow: how you get from the raw data to the final
products of your research
Simple workflow: commented script
• R, SAS, MATLAB…
• Well-documented code is
Easier to review
Easier to share
Easier to use for repeat analysis
#
%
$
&
Document your workflow

55. Fancy schmancy workflows
Resulting output
https://kepler-project.org
During
collection
Document your workflow

56. Workflows enable
• Reproducibility
• Transparency
• Reuse
From Flickr by merlinprincesse
During
collection
Document your workflow

57. Constrain data entries
• Excel lists
• Data validation
• Google docs forms
Modified from K. Vanderbilt
During
collection

58. Atomize
During
collection
One piece of information per cell

59. Create parameter table
From doi:10.3334/ORNLDAAC/777
From doi:10.3334/ORNLDAAC/777
From R Cook, ESA Best Practices Workshop 2010
During
collection
Break down spreadsheets
Fake a relational database
Create a site table

60. Why are you
promoting
Excel?
During
collection
Create metadata

61. Metadata: data reporting
WHO created the data?
WHAT is the content
of the data set?
WHEN was it created?
WHERE was it collected?
HOW was it developed?
WHY was it developed?
FromFlickrby//ichaelPatric|{
During
collection
Create metadata

62. Digital context
• Name of the data set
• The name(s) of the data file(s) in the
data set
• Date the data set was last modified
• Example data file records for each data
type file
• Pertinent companion files
• List of related or ancillary data sets
• Software (including version number)
used to prepare/read the data set
• Data processing that was performed
Personnel & stakeholders
• Who collected
• Who to contact with questions
• Funders
Scientific context
• Scientific reason why the data were
collected
• What data were collected
• What instruments (including model & serial
number) were used
• Environmental conditions during collection
• Temporal & spatial resolution
• Standards or calibrations used
Information about parameters
• How each was measured or produced
• Units of measure
• Format used in the data set
• Precision & accuracy if known
Information about data
• Definitions of codes used
• Quality assurance & control measures
• Known problems that limit data use (e.g.
uncertainty, sampling problems)
During
collection
Create metadata

63. • Provide structure to describe data
Common terms | definitions | language | structure
• Come in many flavors
EML , FGDC, ISO19115, DarwinCore,…
• Can be met using software tools
Morpho (EML), Metavist (FGDC), NOAA MERMaid (CSGDM)
What is
metadata?
Metadata standards…
During
collection
Standard
<
Create metadata

64. Back up daily
During
collection
From Flickr by lippo
From Flickr by see phar
Original
Near
Far

65. During
collection
From Flickr by Barbies Land
Remember that data
management plan?
Revisit
Review
Revise

66. During
collection
Schedule a time each
week or month
Revisit
Review
Revise
From Flickr by purplemattfish

67. From
Flickr
by
celikins
Where to start?

68. From Flickr by Andy Graulund
Make a
resolution
• Triage on current
projects
• Get advisor, lab mates,
collaborators on board
• Do better next time

69. Start working online
From
Flickr
by
karindalziel

70. http://datapub.cdlib.org
Reproducibility, E-notebooks, Online science

71. Step-by-step wizard for generating DMP
create | edit | re-use | share
Free & open to community
dmptool.orgWrite a DMP

72. databib.org
Where
should I put
my data?
Find a repository

73. Get help
FromFlickrbythewmatt

74. FromFlickrbyNorthCarolinaDigital
HeritageCenter
From Flickr by Madison Guy
Get help from your library

75. Learn new skills
software carpentry
www.software-carpentry.org

76. From Flickr by Micah Taylor
Other Fun Stuff

77. Altmetrics?
Impact
Factors
+
Citation
Counts
Credit in academia…

78. Altmetrics
Article-level metrics
Altmetrics for alt-products
Data
Code
Slides
Blogs
Downloads
Tweets
Mentions
Views
From Flickr by Skakerman

79. Altmetrics
Article-level metrics
Altmetrics for alt-products

80. Researcher
Identification

81. BIG initiatives…

82. NSF funded DataNet Project
Office of Cyberinfrastructure
www.dataone.org

84. New partners…

85. Better methods…

86. Better methods…

87. Science is changing.
Embrace it.

88. From Flickr by dotpolka
Manage & share
your data!

89. Website
Email
Twitter
Slides
carlystrasser.net
carlystrasser@gmail.com
@carlystrasser
slideshare.net/carlystrasser