1. An Introduction Measure once, use many times January 2017
DASSH, Plymouth
Measure once,
use many times
An Introduction

2. Who are MEDIN?
In operation since 2008 Open partnership Funded by 16 sponsors Budget ~£500K Work with academia, government and industry
MEDIN Sponsors

3. Some MEDIN links
MEDIN reports to the Marine Science Coordination Committee (MSCC) – partnership reporting to UK Government Ministerial level.
Sit on UK Marine Monitoring Assessment Strategy (UKMMAS) evidence groups, ensuring data sharing at heart of marine strategy
Academic links include NOC, BGS
Work with various industry partners and initiatives e.g. Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult, HR Wallingford, Marine Industries Liaison Group

4. NOT SUSTAINABLE – MEDIN TO PROVIDE A SOLUTION
Why is MEDIN necessary?
> 200 holders of marine data and information in the UK (circa. 2008)
NOT SUSTAINABLE – MEDIN TO PROVIDE A SOLUTION
Each of these different sectors may have gone through their iwn routes of qa/management etc. same with standardisation, delivery etc. not sustainable, so medin proposed

5. i.e. Easier data sharing! MEDIN’s objective
To improve access to, and management of, UK marine data and information
i.e. Easier data sharing!

6. Bricks without clay!
“Data! Data! Data! I can’t make bricks without clay!” (Sherlock Holmes) A cautionary tale
Even Sherlock knew the importance.
Check link

7. Marine Standard & Guidelines
The MEDIN Solution
Hub for UK Marine Data
Marine Standard & Guidelines
Network and Expertise

8. MEDIN Rogues Gallery!
Core team based at BODC in Liverpool Metadata support provided by DASSH in Plymouth
Lesley Rickards
Hannah Williams
Clare Postlethwaite
Gaynor Evans
Sean Gaffney
Since Previous incarnation since 2005

9. Two important terms… Discovery metadata… Usage metadata…
Briefly talk about analogy. Amazon and ebay – all different categories, range – essentially discovery metadata – help pinpoint product. Usage metadata – whether you can run the game – system requirement. Doesn’t say anything about the quality, that’s for user to decide

10. 7 Data Archive Centres (DACs)
Hub for UK Marine Data
Discovery
metadata
Data
Logo bingo
7 Data Archive Centres (DACs)

11. Benefits of MEDIN DACs DAC DAC network of existing expertise.
Safe rep long term secure storage
Expert advice
Padlock – restrict access to particular groups
Making sure when the data come in that the dac can convert – never become unreadable.
Versioning control
Documentation – for in
Added value – secure file area. ftp – web based system on bodc website.
Use of dois for citing datasets

12. Marine Discovery Metadata Standard
Marine flavour

13. Not guidance on how to collect data
Data Guidelines
Usage metadata!
Not guidance on how to collect data
Drafted by DACs and other expert bodies. Help to speed up data ingestion into DACs and subsequently makes re-use easier
Field Title
MCO
Description
Recommended Controlled Vocabulary or Format
Examples
surveyName M
Title of the survey
Free text;
2004 CCW Menai Strait benthic monitoring survey
surveyAbstract
Brief description of the purpose of the survey and other types of measurements that were made for the survey.
Survey was the first in a series of 3 in 2010 whose specific aim was to identify sites suitable for further monitoring. Geophysical techniques were used in combination with grabs and cores to assess seabed type.
Usage metadata!! – make this clear
Not guidance on how to collect!
Field format: Free text, Decimal, Controlled Vocabulary

14. The MEDIN portal MEDIN 2014-2019 Business Plan
portal.oceannet.org
“… provides a single point of access from which to find out about marine data from all the different UK organisations…”
MEDIN Business Plan
Governed by MEDIN Discovery Metadata Standard
Aim is to have all public funded data available under Open Government Licence
Currently being upgraded – 6-9 months.
MEDIN portal went online in June 2010
Portal currently being upgraded and modernised.

15. Is MEDIN working? Good coverage?
>12,000 datasets accessible through portal
> 500 organisations have metadata in portal (~200 in 2008)
12,000
Over 500 org. more than doubled in the 8 years we have running.

16. Is MEDIN working? Data in + out?
(from Annual Report)
Dynamic – All DACs archiving new data every year (5 times more than in , 7 times more than in )
Use
Data used? > 50% increase in requests for data from 2013 – 2014.
(783,249 in total 2014/15)

17. How does MEDIN apply to me?
Organisation with a question
Contractor
? How do I comply with MEDIN
Data
Storage
DACs?
Liaison and metadata
Re-use of data enabled through Guidelines
Elsewhere
Why do I have to do all of this??
Requirement for marine data. Either through best practice or requirement e.g. through Crown Estate, has to comply with medin.
Data & storage.
Feedback useful.
Problem/question.
Metadata creation by contractor or data holder
PORTAL!

18. There’s data out there, but we can’t always see it
Analogy – so he can see the submarine and get help.