Data Management for NEES Stanislav (Standa) Pejša, NEEScomm Data Curator NEEShub Boot Camp, This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License

Content Benefits of data management File formats File names File description Storage Reports/Publications Copyright Things to remember

Benefits of data management Better chances to find what you are looking for More efficient work with data Easier sharing of your data and transfer of knowledge Safe location of files Less stress when finishing a project

File formats Use common and mainstream formats Use formats consistently Recommended formats: Sensor measurements: tab delimited ASCII files are preferred Reports, publications and other documentation: PDF is recommended Images: PNG, JPG, and GIF; avoid BMP Frame captures: the recommended formats are ZIP, TAR, TAR.GZ Video: currently there are no restrictions; avoid formats that require a specific codec, e.g. ASF

File names File naming convention is a good idea Be consistent with using lower case and upper cases Use file extensions consistently – do not mix JPG and jpg (lower case is proffered) Make filenames meaningful Avoid forbidden characters: Do not start filenames with a period ".” Avoid whitespace; use underscore (_) or hyphen (-) instead

File description Descriptions on directories and/or files Make retrieval and identification of files easier Help researchers to understand purpose of the file Description should include: Notes about data processing Software used for creation or processing of data Any useful information necessary for rendering of files

Storage NEEShub will keep your data SAFE Your laptop or desktop is not enough Save as you work on experiments Do not wait to be told to upload your data and your experiments ORGANIZED Data (./Experiment-n/Trial-n/Run-n/Type_of_data) Sensor metadata (./Documentation/Sensors) Technical drawings: specimen, instrumentation plans (./Documentation/Drawings) Analytical files (./Analysis) Presentations, reports, images (./Documentation)

Reports/Publications Essential tool for understanding of research and its context NEEShub accepts MSci/PhD theses Pre-prints/post-prints Pre-prints – draft before they are peer-reviewed Post-prints – drafts with comments of peer-reviewers Researchers typically DON’T own copyright to their articles Reports to other grant agencies

NEEShub Let others know that they can use your data Open Data data Creative Commons presentations, reports, pre-prints/post-prints, teaching materials Open Source software more on intellectual property considerations

Things to remember Save files as you work on them Do not wait to be told to upload your data Be consistent If you need help with upload or organization of data Search for curation Many documents are tagged ‘curation’ or ’data curation’ Or the NEEScomm Data Curator

Thank you ! And if you have any questions, me at: