Development of data infrastructure that facilitate sharing and reuse of ecological data based on the Darwin Core standard is a key element of the Living Norway work plan. Building on the great work that has already been done by GBIF, our main ambition is to make tools that make it easier for researchers to connect ecological data to the data flow that is already operated by GBIF.
All our tools maintain machine readability and respect the FAIR data principles. However, we also aim to build tools that also allow for human readability and that can easily be integrated in the normal workflow of ecological researchers. Thus, a part of our current focus is to build tools that allow researchers to build and interact with Darwin Core Archive (DwC-A) directly from the software R.
Current data infrastructure projects and tools
First, we are building a data portal where data mobilized and shared through our network can be found and retrieved. The portal is built as part of the GBIF hosted portal program (read about the program here). The portal was launched in April 2022, and you can visit it here: Living Norway Data Portal.
Second, we have developed a tool called LivingNorwayR that allow users to create a fully functional Darwin Core Archive (the data exchange format used by GBIF) directly from R. The data package include both the data – standardized based on the Darwin Core standard) as well as metadata (based on the Ecological Metadata Language). The tool also allow for easy interaction with existing Darwin Core Archive data packages that can be downloaded from GBIF or Living Norway data portal.
Third, we are building a tool – currently labeled DarwinCoreViewer – based on R-shiny technology for easy inspection and visualization of the data content in a Darwin Core Archive data package. The tool is useful both when conducting quality control of your own data or when assessing fitness for use of existing data packages. The tool was launched in April 2022, and you find it here: DwCviewer.
The developer team
