When Metadata crosses Borders - Enabling Repository Providers with Joint Forces in Earth System Sciences

Research data in the Earth System Sciences (ESS) are managed in diverse repositories with varying aims, publishing, and curation approaches, as well as technical solutions. The resulting heterogeneity often hampers implementing interoperability and harvesting concepts. From the researchers' perspective on integrative data-driven research questions across repository borders, this leads to ineffective search and reuse of the data. We consider it is vital to train researchers to provide high-quality FAIR data and metadata. However, it is even more important to enable repository providers to act as multipliers, as this enables them to provide researchers with suitable repository solutions. This can be done, for example, by implementing fit-for-purpose metadata schemas and interfaces.

In Germany, several initiatives serve as umbrellas for joint activities with ESS repository providers. In collaboration of the German national data infrastructure for Earth System Sciences (NFDI4Earth) and the Helmholtz Metadata Collaboration (HMC), we have developed a roadmap that enables repository providers to meet the needs of researchers and technical requirements. 

As an initial step, we developed recommendations in a community-driven process across NFDI4Earth and HMC. These recommendations provide common steps to foster interoperability, particularly with regard to search and harvesting. Moreover, we have identified a first set of use cases for specific types of ESS data that complement the developed recommendations, e.g. underway measurements of seawater temperature. Through regular updates in the form of community consultations and workshops, we will identify further community needs, as well as support updates and developments of metadata standards, e.g. the implementation of underway measurements in GeoDCAT. In this contribution, we will describe our recommendations, use cases, and lessons learned from the activities for a community-driven process to enable repository providers.