September 13-15, 2019 (C-MORE Hale Center, Honolulu, HI)
Prior to OO19, the OCB Project Office planned and hosted an NSF EarthCube Workshop focused on shipboard ocean time series data. Data synthesis and modeling efforts across ocean time series represents an important and necessary step forward in broadening our view of a changing ocean and maximizing the return on our continued investment in these programs. Despite the scientific insights and technology advances of the past couple of decades, significant barriers remain that hinder important synthesis work across time series. Participants of this workshop sought to address key ocean time series data challenges related to access and discoverability, metadata reporting, interoperability across databases, and broadening users. The workshop was founded on the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data paradigm and included presentations on existing data models and use of controlled vocabularies, guidelines and frameworks for conducting data synthesis and establishing community best practices, and existing and planned ocean time series data products. The following seven small group discussions provided opportunities for participants to prioritize key issues and brainstorm to identify potential short- and long-term solutions:
- Establishing a common data model
- Improving interoperability
- Developing standardized metadata reporting guidelines
- Streamlining time series data submission
- Data citation and crediting
- Broadening users of time series data
- Developing a functional and flexible time series data interface
Actionable outcomes emerging from the workshop include developing a pilot data model test case with well-established time series programs and a limited set of variables; pursuing a longer-term focused community activity (e.g., NSF RCN, SCOR or National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) Working Group, etc.) that builds on the recommendations of workshop participants (e.g., vocabularies, data citation guidelines, metadata reporting, data interface design, etc.) to increase data discoverability and interoperability and enable synthesis and broader applications; forming a centralized international coordination body for shipboard ocean time series to facilitate development of community best practices and increased recognition as a key component of the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS); and writing a series of high-profile briefs and visualizations that highlight the role of sustained ocean time series in capturing important climate (e.g., expansion of “the Blob”) and marine ecosystem events and changes (HABs, coastal acidification, coral bleaching events, hypoxic events, etc.). A full workshop report is in preparation and will be shared broadly. In the meantime, please contact Heather Benway (hbenway@whoi.edu) or visit the workshop website for more information.
