Data workshop Recap: Make the best of your data

As more data and larger amounts of data is produced in any field of science, there is a growing need for its efficient management and proper tools that support scientists in their daily work. Addressing this need, an international workshop on the data life cycle, data publication and long-term data preservation brought together the agricultural (ZALF), soil science (BonaRes) and long-term data preservation community (ZB MED).

23 participants, including scientists from Hungary, Morocco and China, went through practical exercises on the data life cycle and the process of FAIR data publication (that is: Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable). As the BonaRes Data Repository is currently cooperating with the ZB MED (the Information Centre for Life Sciences) to make data reusable for centuries (yes, centuries), they gave very interesting insights in how to make sure that software and formats will still be readable many years and software versions from now. Together with the experience from the Bonares workshop on machine learning a week before, it was apparent that there is much interest in progressive digital solutions to agricultural data challenges. In further workshops, the expressed needs of the Bonares community will be addressed accordingly: e.g., train the trainer and opportunities for publication in specialized data journals.