The Earth and environmental science data community is focused on improving data management and sharing practices that result in our researchers being better equipped for their work. In 2017, the Earth, Space and Environmental Sciences Interest Group initiated with a BoF at P10 in Montreal. Its initial focus was on harmonising research infrastructure projects around the world. Although the focus was on infrastructures, working groups have now spun up on Complex Citations and on Researcher2Publisher workflows. Further, topics discussed have broadened out from Infrastructures and the proposal is to expand and to an RDA Community of Practice that covers all aspects of  Earth and environmental sciences, embracing our initial focus on research infrastructures projects to the broader challenges facing our research community.

This Community of Practice will provide a neutral platform to coordinate existing efforts  and work towards best practices for discipline-specific challenges and issues around data management and sharing. The Earth and environmental community is broad and includes researchers, their institutions, instrument manufacturers, tools, repositories, journal editors and more.

• 0-5 Minutes (5 minutes): Welcome (Danie Kinkade)

• 5-15 Minutes (10 minutes); Introduction to the COP, WGs/IGs within RDA that relate to ESES, aims and objectives of the COP (Shelley Stall)

• 15-35 Minutes (20 MInutes) Lightning Presentations from Groups on why it is a good idea.

  1. Helen Glaves (GEO)

  2. Tim Rawling (CEO, Auscope) 

  3. Shelley – Discipline-specific guidance (AGU)

  4. Pier Luigi (Marine, Germany) – to be confirmed  

  5. Simon Hodson (WorldFAIR / CODATA) – to be confirmed  

  6. Pedro Luiz Pizzigatti Corrêa (University of São Paulo, Brazil) – to be confirmed  

• 35 – 50 (15 Minutes): Poll survey of Audience on types of issues the COP could address (Kristina Vrouwenvelder) 

• 50-75  (25 minutes): Group Discussion to determine Priorities and groups to invite to participate (Shelley Stall)

• 75-85 minute (10 minutes) Logistics – running the COP, frequency of meetings, Chairs (Lesley Wyborn)

• 85-90 Minutes (5 minutes): Wrap up, future chairs and next steps.

The idea of forming an ESES Community of Practice was first suggested in 2023. An interest meeting was held on 6 February 2023 with an initial set of recommended topics and statements of support captured.  Additional feedback on the importance and challenges of the new Community of Practice was captured at both P20 (March 2023) and P21 (October 2023) as a topic during the ESIP/RDA Earth, Space, and Environment Sciences IG sessions.

Additional links to informative material

1. Draft Case statement: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1juuah5DoYZztIaCWI0IKyA0GBgqMwp9q6RSI5ycdIHk/edit

2. Vrouwenvelder, K., Stall, S., & Clare, C. (2023, February 6). RDA Earth, Space, and Environmental Science Community of Practice Interest Meetings. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7622438