OR/14/061 Objectives

Watson, C, Baker, G, and Nayembil M. 2014. Open geoscience data models: end of project report. British Geological Survey Internal Report, OR/14/061.

The objectives of the OpenGeoscience Data Models project were stated as follows:

• Support NERCs Environmental Monitoring objective of 'Enabling environmental data sets to be applied in new commercial and societal services and products'
• Contribute to the ongoing global improvement in the quality of geoscientific data
• Contribute to the ongoing efforts to ensure water security
• Improve efficiencies within the global community of geoscientific data owners and consumers
• Generate economic opportunities for the BGS and UK plc

In order to meet these objectives the proposal described the creation of a new 'Data Models' section within the existing OpenGeoscience website: http://www.bgs.ac.uk/opengeoscience. The main purpose of this section was to describe and give access to the ‘Database Design Packages’ developed by the BGS. In addition a community of users would be developed who would use and contribute to an ongoing web resource that promotes good database design (& data management) within geoscience.

Each Database Design Package would consist of:

• Entity relationship diagrams
• Documentation that was suitable for technical and non-technical audiences
• Programming scripts to create copies of the database designs

It was the belief of the project team and partners that the open sharing of data models in the form of downloadable database designs would lead to better information management within the community. GSOs that lacked data management experience would be able to short cut the learning curve and scientific data end users would benefit from greater access to quality, well described and constrained datasets. Technologically advanced GSOs would also benefit from the peer review aspect of the project.