GLAAS, a FAIR data information system for tephra laboratory research

A prominent barrier to adopting open science and FAIR data practices is the workload required for generating and sharing standards-following well-documented data. The Geological Laboratory Analytical Archive System (GLAAS) is aimed at directly minimizing this barrier by facilitating the operational capture of metadata while following and supporting laboratory workflows. This approach greatly eases the process of archiving and publishing FAIR data with rich contextual metadata following research community best practice standards. This system is inspired by Sparrow (https://sparrow-data.org/) for analytical lab documentation and Strabo (https://strabospot.org/) for field data capture and documentation.

The current schema includes people, projects, funding sources, physical sample cataloging, sample and sub-sample curation, sample preparation, analytical target cataloging, bulk and in-situ microanalytical geochemistry, analytical methods and instruments, grain size analysis, volcanological componentry, optical images, SEM images, and resulting publications. An authenticated-access, user-friendly web interface allows users to access and record their data from any secure network/facility. The designated PI or owner can manage their overall project and sample visibility (denoting projects as public or private), and they can configure multiple levels of project data access and management for their team of collaborators and for members of the public. Datasets designated public are accessible to all other researchers, helping to foster and promote open science. 

The development of this multi-component system and database gained valuable insight and direction from previous tephra community workshop participants, NSF-supported best practices development (https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-022-01515-y), IEDA EarthChem and SESAR collaborations, and early stage Concord University undergraduate student contributions. These helped to refine the schema design and workflow support for FAIR data practices. Prototypes are being tested at Concord University with the intention to eventually make this tool available for the broader tephra-mineralogy-petrology and analytical lab community. The creation, dissemination, and wider adoption of this data system will strengthen user-driven, user-controlled documentation of research samples and data thus help to make much more science information readily Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable.