Curating Data in Experimental Facilities

DesignSafe-EF Onboarding Checklist for Data Curation

DesignSafe has been developed as a comprehensive research environment supporting a range of activities from research planning to cloud-based data analysis to data curation/publication. We encourage users to take full advantage of the DesignSafe capabilities associated with both the Data Depot data repository and the Tools and Apps. To learn more about all of these capabilities, watch this Introductory Webinar.

Phase 1: Before the Experimental Facility

  1. Create an account on DesignSafe via TACC.
  2. Familiarize yourself with the Data Depot and the curation process.
  3. Familiarize yourself with the available Tools and Apps.
    • Tools and Apps
    • Python scripts in Jupyter can be used for real-time data analysis within the Data Depot.
  4. Add a project within the Data Depot.
    • This project may be created by any research team member (PI/co-PI/student) or it may already exist from a previous phase of the research project.
    • Make sure that all PIs/co-PIs and team members are added to the project (accessed from the "Edit Project" link).
    • Assign one team member responsible for uploading and coordinating data management activities.
    • PIs and co-PIs should be informed and contribute to curation decisions including final publication.

Phase 2: While at the Experimental Facility

The following steps will be completed as a team.

  1. Upload project data files into your Project as soon as you gather and produce them.
    • Include model drawings, sensors, loading inputs, ground motions, material testing, specs, and any experiment planning documents.
    • It is best to use open formats for your data such as .docx, .csv, .txt/ascii, .tif and other preservation friendly formats.
    • If possible, upload both zipped and unzipped versions of your files to accommodate future data download and data use.
  2. You may begin the curation process as soon as you start uploading files to DesignSafe. You will continue this process after your work at the EF (Experimental Facility).

Phase 3: After the Experimental Facility

  1. Attend Virtual Curation Office Hours. As a team, make an appointment with the DesignSafe Data Curator to discuss data management.
  2. Finalize curation of your project:
    • Finalize and organize Experiments, Categories, and Relationships.
    • Tag files appropriately.
    • Ask someone unfamiliar with the project to review the project description to see if it makes sense to a wider audience.
  3. Publish your project:
    • Select Publication Preview to examine the layout of your publication.
    • Publish your project using the "Prepare to Publish" button within the Publication Preview. Confirm the project metadata, files to be published, et cetera, and then click "Request DOI and Publish".
    • The project will be publicly available in the Published section of the Data Depot within about 24 hours.

General Comments

  • Publishing the data from your project quickly will help you comply with the requirements of your funding sources, allow you to cite your data with a DOI in your upcoming publications and presentations, and bring prompt attention to your work.
  • DesignSafe provides the possibility to publish one experiment at a time, so you do not need to finish your entire research project to publish all the experiments.
  • You may version your data and thus you can publish the raw data and add later analysis or processed results as version 2.
  • The project PI and co PI should be involved in the process to make sure they agree with the data presentation. Clarify with the team the authorship and order of authors.