An introduction to MEDIN Data Guidelines

1. An introduction to MEDIN Data Guidelines

2. What MEDIN data guidelines are not… • Protocols for collection methods • Prescriptive of how you have to collect and store your data • Metadata schema • MEDIN guidelines are Data Archive Standards: • They provide a list of information that should be collected with your data to ensure they can be re-used in the future.

3. Data guidelines • Instill good practice amongst users • Allow contracting organizations to specify a format that data should be returned in that can be readily used and includes all relevant attributes • Provide a consistent format for contractors to work to (rather than a different format for each contract) • Allow easy ingestion of data to Data Archiving Centres

4. Relationship to Discovery Metadata MEDIN discovery metadata – allows the non-informed user to discover data. MEDIN data guidelines - all the information that will make your data re-useable

5. One size does not fit all • Our data model has to encompass everything from a sighting by a member of the public to a complex cruise survey or a historical time series! • Guidelines are themed by method and split into levels • Where possible levels work across methods • These standard kits can be bolted together in different ways if needed for complex surveys (e.g. where collecting data using different methods in a single survey)

6. Data Guideline Structure 3 requirements: General Metadata Project Survey Detailed Metadata Methods Data Station Sample Event Sample Data Common to all guidelines Specific to each guideline

8. Data guidelines

9. Data guidelines Zip file contains: 1. readme file 2. pdf document of the Data Guideline 3. excel template of the Data Guideline Download latest version from website Mandatory/Conditional/Optional Same information

10. Summary Check list Detailed guidance Data Guidelines www.oceannet.org

11. Summary Check list Detailed guidance Data Guidelines Introduction 1.1 What are MEDIN compliant data? There are 3 requirements to ensure that your benthic data using a grab or core are MEDIN compliant: You supply General Metadata about your data – See Appendix A You supply Detailed Metadata about your data – This may be included in a survey/cruise report or as additional metadata – See Appendix B Your data are in a format that MEDIN accepts – See Appendix C

12. Summary Check list Detailed guidance Data Guidelines Additional items: Please provide as much of the following information as possible to help others assess your data: Survey Information: originalCRS transformation depthCRS verticalAccuracy platformType platformName cruiseReportReference Confidentiality Survey Information: This information is mandatory and must be supplied with your data to ensure it can be reused: • surveyName • surveyType • surveyAbstract • surveyCode • originator • owner • surveyStartDate • surveyEndDate • timeZone • spatialCRS • positionFix • horizontalAccuracy

13. Summary Check list Detailed guidance Data Guidelines • Method Information: • This information must be supplied with your data to ensure it can be reused:

14. Exceptions • If transferring historic data then some mandatory fields may be omitted • The guideline can be extended to suit specific requirements

15. Data Guideline template

16. Practical Aim – to familiarise yourselves with the structure and content of a Data Guideline. • Find the Data Guidelines page on the MEDIN website. Which data guidelines look relevant to your work? Is there an obvious gap for your work? • Open the Data Guideline for species and benthos data collected by dredge or trawl surveys from your desktop (the pdf) • Start to fill in the data guideline as if you were on survey