Data in Context IG

Research is a global ecosystem employing multiple stakeholders. The UK Digital Curation Center (DCC) developed a lifecycle approach to manage data – encompassing both a linear sequence of work stages as well as the cyclic repetition of specific tasks. It recognizes conceptualization, creation, access and usage, appraisal and selection, disposal, ingestion, preservation, reappraisal, storage, access and reuse, transformation as the elements to constitute this cycle [i]. This and other lifecycle models [ii] conceptualize data related workflows, and behind each element, we anticipate at least a data producer and a data consumer to have a need or a problem to solve, e.g. a requirement; to hence define the boundaries of a particular context or request within the data management life-cycle.

Furthermore, we anticipate the need for documentation of the evolution of the data asset behind each element through re-usable contextual ‘profiles’ applicable upon various datasets if standardized; i.e. constituted by (1) standardized open vocabularies, upon (2) standardized formal data profiles and (3) standardized formal semantics.

A profile will (a) assist in retrieval precision and recall (including disambiguation); (b) provide information to assist the user in judging the relevance and quality of the data asset; (c) provide additional information that may be used in processing the dataset; (d) provide information that assists in explaining the dataset (purpose, relationship to persons, organisations, facilities, equipment, publications etc).

With this working group for each of the three dimensions, we want to investigate:

• contextually or subcontextually-aware standardization work [iii];
• re-usable priority requirements [iv];

in order to deliver:

• an overview of contextually aware standardization work;
• a priority list of data management requirements for contextual metadata leading to a defined programme of work.

The results of the investigation will support with preparations towards the constitution of a RDA Working Group to implement the selected priority requirements, i.e. ‘profiles’ in a standardized way at all three levels, which in a further step may aim at automation of transformation between available formal data standards.

The idea "Contextual Metadata" has first been presented at the first RDA plenary in Gothenburg (March 2013) towards setting up a working group, but is now first intended to start as a RDA Interest Group.

We want to strongly collaborate and exchange ideas with related Working Groups in a coordinated way - namely:

• RDA Data Foundation and Terminology WG
• RDA Metadata IG
• RDA Metadata Standards Directory WG
• RDA PID Information Types WG
• ICSU Open Metadata Catalogue and Knowledge Networks WG
• RDA/WDS Workflows for Publishing Data IG
• RDA Data Description Registry Interoperability WG
• RDA/WDS Publishing Data IG
• Long tail of research data IG
• RDA Research Data Provenance IG
• W3C Activities towards Data Profiles

Metadata Principles - Created and endorsed by all the RDA metadata groups

RDA Plenary 8 Denver

Metadata activities:

Thursday 15 September 2016 

• Breakout 1 - 11:30
  • Data Fabric IG: Joint Meeting with WG Chairs on Guidelines/Recommendations Agenda
• Breakout 2 – 14:00
  • Joint meeting of Elixir Bridging Force IG, Biosharing Registry WG, Data Type Registries WG, Metadata Standards Catalog  Agenda
• Breakout 3 - 16:00
  • Joint meeting of Metadata IG, Metadata Standards Catalog WG, Data in Context IG Agenda

Saturday 17 September 2016

• Breakout 8 - 11:00
  • Joint meeting of BioSharing Registry WG, Metadata Standards Catalog WG, RDA/WDS Publishing Data Workflows: Data policies, databases, and metadata standards WG Agenda

Current Activity

We are collecting use cases (together with the other metadata groups of RDA). Please download the Use Case template from the File Repostory and  follow the instructions (top row) of where to send when completed.

Use Case Analysis

The initial use case Analysis was presented in Session 9 joint meeting of all the metadata groups at Plenary 6 in Paris. Below are some revised slides based on the feedback from that meeting and the master use case spreadsheet showing the process.

• Updated analysis slides
• Master Use Case Spreadsheet

More information to be found in the Wiki.

[i] DCC Ditigal Curation Lifecycle.

[ii] DDI-Lifecycle, Data Asset Framework, Data Curation Profile, etc.

[iii] e.g. CASRAI, CERIF, VIVO, PROV, PREMIS, MARC, CKAN, DCAT, ISO, W3C, OMG, OAIS, etc.

[iv] e.g. in EU, US (e.g. in Horizon2020, NIH, NSF, etc. funding programmes), ... South Americas, etc.

Last modified: October 21, 2014