The TRR170-DB Data Repository: Improving Metadata for FAIR Planetary Replication Datasets

TRR170-DB (https://planetary-data-portal.org/) is a re3data (r3data.org) referenced data repository that stores machine-readable replication datasets of the collaborative research center ‘Late Accretion onto Terrestrial Planets’ (TRR 170) and from other institutions in the planetary science community. The TRR170-DB framework aligns their data storage with the FAIR (Wilkinson et al., 2016) data life cycle as promoted by the German National Research Data Infrastructure Initiative (www.nfdi.de) and various national and international funding agencies and initiatives. The TRR170-DB repository will be permanently hosted by Freie Universität Berlin, which ensures long-term preservation of, and access to TRR170-DB’s published data.

TRR170-DB has a flexible data-driven metadata system that uses tailored metadata blocks for specific data communities. Metadata and files of a published replication dataset can be exported in various open international metadata standards and file formats. This ensures that all published data are generally accessible for other external databases and repositories (“interoperability”).

A major requirement for the reuse of data is metadata information that reflects up-to-date analytical developments. Currently, we are expanding metadata templates to incorporate additional standardized information on samples and materials, analytical methods and additional experimental data in the area of geochemistry. This ongoing process will involve international scientific communities and initiatives (OneGeochemistry, Astromaterials Data System, NFDI, etc.) by discussing and testing joint standards and practice. Our efforts on advancing metadata for geochemical analysis data parallel with establishing an interest group on ’metadata standards for instrumental analysis data in geochemistry’ in the context of the German NFDI4Earth, a consortium of the NFDI Initiative.