Metadata for Data Indexing and Data Discovery in Materials Science and Engineering
Submitted by Zachary Trautt
The use of Linked Data, Semantic Web, and related technologies has seen a rapid and significant adoption in many domains. Projects, such as Bioschemas and CodeMeta are leading development in life science and scientific software, respectively. Furthermore, Linked Data appears to be a facet of the emerging FAIR Digital Object Framework. The materials science and engineering community is in the early stages of development regarding this technology, with numerous members of the international materials community making progress. This BoF will have the following objectives:
- Define and socialize about the opportunities of Linked Data, Semantic Web, and related technologies
- Survey the landscape of current Linked Data, Semantic Web, and related technologies within materials science and engineering, and closely related fields
- Discuss opportunities and mechanisms for collaboration and consensus-building in the development and adoption of Linked Data, Semantic Web, and related technology in materials science and engineering
- Identify potential action steps for further progress
The successful development and adoption may provide significant benefit for improved Findability of data and other resources within the materials community. This effort is complementary to a past materials RDA WG, which developed a materials resource registry. That WG specifically targeted Open Archives Initiative Protocol for Metadata Harvesting (OAI-PMH) for metadata exchange within its founding documents, and specifically mentioned the need to explore other metadata format types, such as JavaScript Object Notation (JSON), in its final report. By expanding into Linked Data and Semantic Web development, we aim to enable additional mechanisms for metadata indexing by data discovery services. This effort will also explore opportunities to leverage outputs of the RDA Research Metadata Schemas WG, but applied within materials science and engineering.
Collaborative session notes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10dyI7xwocIJg7UQLx-nUNwkRMnRHvToVNEVPQhlbJTY/edit?usp=sharing
If our BoF is approved, the session will have the following nominal agenda [90 minutes]:
- [10 minutes] Introduction and goals of the BoF
- [5 minutes] Questions and Answers
- [10 minutes] Invited talk from Bioschemas community
- [5 minutes] Questions and Answers
- [10 minutes] Invited talk from RDA Materials Registry Working Group
- [5 minutes] Questions and Answers
- [10 minutes] Invited talk from MaRDA Data Dictionaries Working Group
- [5 minutes] Questions and Answers
- [20 minutes] Facilitated discussion with participants on topics agreed among the co-chairs during the July brainstorming meeting
- What efforts already exist?
- What are the gaps?
- How to create consensus?
- Do we go in the direction of a new group or do we join an already existing group?
- Invite chairs of (1) Materials Data, Infrastructure & Interoperability IG, (2) Chemistry Research Data IG, (3) Research Data Management in Engineering IG, and (4) Research Metadata Schemas WG to discuss how our initiative might align with existing groups. We will send questions to these chairs ahead of time to enable a mini panel discussion.
- In case of a new group: Do we go in the direction of an IG or WG?
- If so, how can we develop a charter or case statement?
- Do we have the critical mass to move forward?
- [10 minutes] Summary of the discussion, next steps, closing remarks
On 2021-07-19, the following individuals hosted a virtual meeting to brainstorm a potential BoF:
Asahiko Matsuda, NIMS
Kosuke Tanabe, NIMS
Reetu Joseph, KIT
Rossella Aversa, KIT
Stuart Chalk, UNF
Zachary Trautt, NIST
All of these individuals have some existing efforts that are relevant to this BoF.
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