Data management self-assessment tool

Description

Background

The Data Management Plan (DMP) self-assessment tool consists in a questionnaire capturing declarative information for GEO and FAIR Principles. For each Principle, an assessment matrix is proposed addressing the level of compliance and the complementarities / overlap between the FAIR and GEO principles. Once completed a final tab "Your DMP", including an export button allows you to save the Excel spreadsheet to Word file for a ready-to-go DMP.

The DMP self-assessment tool is an outcome of the e-shape project. The e-shape (EuroGEO Showcases: Applications Powered by Europe) project (2019-2023) is an European Commission funded project under the Horizon 2020 framework program. e-shape (e-shape.eu) is an European contribution to GEO in support to the European regional GEO, EuroGEO.

e-shape is driven by the need to develop operational EO services with and for the users and to create a conducive environment whereby the strengths of Europe are exploited towards addressing societal challenges, fostering entrepreneurship and supporting their sustainable development through the address of the three main priorities of GEO (SDGs, Paris Agreement and Sendaï Framework).

e-shape should have a tangible, long-term impact on the EO capacity in Europe and the exploitation of the Copernicus programme.

Thanks to the combination of scientific excellence and technological prowess in the context of 37 Pilot applications, and the host of support measures established (co-design processes, user uptake activities, sustainability booster, trainings), the project would significantly reinforce the capacity of the supply side to transform R&D into operational and sustainable services that meet user and market needs.

Key considerations

1. Compliance and trajectory

The Data Management Plan (DMP) self-assessment tool consists in a questionnaire capturing declarative information for each Principle. For each Principle, an assessment matrix is proposed, regarding the level of compliance. It is acknowledged that each development is different, and compliance can be complete, partial, or it can be considered the DMP dimension might not be entirely relevant to the development.

In addition, it should be recognised that compliance might improve as the service develops, often from an existing service or prototype which is subsequently developed into an operational service. This trajectory element is useful to monitor the impact of public funding, technical assistance or support received during a development cycle. In the case of e-shape, through two development Sprints.

1. GEO and FAIR overlap

A challenge lies in the complementarities / overlap between the FAIR and GEO principles. As a matter of fact, the GEO Management and sharing principles are accepted as a reference by all in the GEO Community but they are rarely fully known or implemented. Often, these are confused with the FAIR principles which are the reference for the H2020 projects. Discussions within the GEO community tend to demonstrate that GEO principles mostly overlap FAIR principles. 

As part of the outcomes of the GEO Data Working Group / Sub group on Data Sharing and Data Management Principles[1], Dr. R. S. Chen and Dr R. R. Downs (Columbia University) introduced these key considerations at GEO 2019 in Camberra[2].

As a consequence, the Data Management Plan (DMP) self-assessment tool collects information regarding both the GEO and FAIR principles, despite some information overlap between the two sections of the questionnaire. The practical solution implemented to reduce duplication has been to transfer some of the GEO inputs into the corresponding FAIR sections.
 

[1] https://old.earthobservations.org/data_wg.php

[2] https://old.earthobservations.org/documents/data_wg/GEO%20FAIR-DSDM%20Crosswalk%20Nov19.pptx

User instruction

Make sure to read the "User instructions" section in the introction tab after the opening of the tool.

Credits

The e-shape project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement 820852. The project is coordinated by ARMINES under the leadership of Professor Thierry Ranchin.

Authors

• Main contributors: Lionel Menard (ARMINES) Nicolas Fichaux (ARMINES)
• Excel Toolbox: Nicolas Fichaux (ARMINES), Lionel Menard (ARMINES), Mathieu Reboul (ARMINES), Olivier Lavagne d'Ortigues (Consultant)
• Technical advisors: Marie Françoise Voidrot (OGCE), Joan Masó (CREAF), Chris Schubert (TU Wien)
• Acknowledgements: GEO Data Working Group / Sub group on Data Sharing and Data Management Principles, and in particular Dr. R. S. Chen and Dr. R. R. Downs (Columbia University) for their outstanding contribution regarding the overlaps between GEO and FAIR Data Management Principles.

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Additional details