Developing a Data Management Platform for the Ocean Science Community

Abstract

The management of oceanographic data is particularly challenging given the variety of protocols for the analysis of data collection and model output, the vast range of environmental conditions studied, and the potentially enormous extent and volume of the resulting data sets and model results. Here, we describe the Research Workspace (the Workspace), a web platform designed around data management best practices to meet the challenges of managing oceanographic data throughout the research life cycle. The Workspace features secure user accounts and automatic file versioning to assist with the early stages of project planning and data collection. Jupyter Notebooks have been integrated into the Workspace to support reproducible numerical analysis and data visualization while making use of high-performance computer resources collocated with data assets. An ISO-compliant metadata editor has also been integrated into the Workspace to support data synthesis, publication, and reuse. The Workspace currently supports stakeholders across the ocean science community, from funding agencies to individual investigators, by providing a data management platform to meet the needs of big ocean data.