Sample Identifiers and Metadata Reporting Format for Environmental Systems Science
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- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
- SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
- Department of Earth Systems Science, Stanford University
- Brookhaven National Lab
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL)
- National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS)
- Argonne National Laboratory
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
- Lawrence Berkeley National Lab - NERSC
The ESS-DIVE sample identifiers and metadata reporting format primarily follows the System for Earth Sample Registration (SESAR) Global Sample Number (IGSN) guide and template, with modifications to address Environmental Systems Science (ESS) sample needs and practicalities (IGSN-ESS). IGSNs are associated with standardized metadata to characterize a variety of different sample types (e.g. object type, material) and describe sample collection details (e.g. latitude, longitude, environmental context, date, collection method). Globally unique sample identifiers, particularly IGSNs, facilitate sample discovery, tracking, and reuse; they are especially useful when sample data is shared with collaborators, sent to different laboratories or user facilities for analyses, or distributed in different data files, datasets, and/or publications. To develop recommendations for multidisciplinary ecosystem and environmental sciences, we first conducted research on related sample standards and templates. We provide a comparison of existing sample reporting conventions, which includes mapping metadata elements across existing standards and Environment Ontology (ENVO) terms for sample object types and environmental materials. We worked with eight U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) funded projects, including those from Terrestrial Ecosystem Science and Subsurface Biogeochemical Research Scientific Focus Areas. Project scientists tested the process of registering samples for IGSNs and associated metadata in workflows for multidisciplinary ecosystem sciences. We provide modified IGSN metadata guidelines to account for needs of a variety of related biological and environmental samples. While generally following the IGSN core descriptive metadata schema, we provide recommendations for extending sample type terms, and connecting to related templates geared towards biodiversity (Darwin Core) and genomic (Minimum Information about any Sequence, MIxS) samples and specimens. ESS-DIVE recommends registering samples for IGSNs through SESAR, and we include instructions for registration using the IGSN-ESS guidelines. Our resulting sample reporting guidelines, template (IGSN-ESS), and identifier approach can be used by any researcher with sample data for ecosystem sciences.
- Research Organization:
- Environmental System Science Data Infrastructure for a Virtual Ecosystem (ESS-DIVE) (United States); Environmental Systems Science Data Infrastructure for a Virtual Ecosystem (ESS-DIVE)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- U.S. DOE > Office of Science > Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
- OSTI ID:
- 1660470
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
sample identifier
Global Sample Number (IGSN)
ESS-DIVE reporting format
multidisciplinary
data linking
FAIR data
persistent identifier
Environment Ontology (ENVO)
environmental context
organic material
particulate matter
environmental material
sediment
EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOSYSTEMS
EARTH SCIENCE > LAND SURFACE > SOILS
EARTH SCIENCE > TERRESTRIAL HYDROSPHERE > GROUND WATER
EARTH SCIENCE > TERRESTRIAL HYDROSPHERE > SURFACE WATER
EARTH SCIENCE > SOLID EARTH > EARTH GASES/LIQUIDS