NCEI: Tackling the “R” in FAIR

NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) stewards one of the world's largest and most diverse collections of environmental data. The longevity of this organization and its predecessors has led to a great diversity of digital and physical data formats and media. NCEI strives to develop processes, guidance and tools to facilitate the creation of independently understandable and FAIR data.

Implementation of FAIR data principles tends to focus on the F(Findable) and A(Accessible) because they are more easily addressed. However implementing I(Interoperable) and R(Reusable) are proving to be more difficult. Ensuring reusability is fundamental for long term studies where data must be preserved over decades and weather multiple technological changes. Increased interdisciplinary research requires data reuse beyond their original purpose and the rise of artificial intelligence and deep learning require data to also be machine-readable. Tackling the challenge of making data reusable requires forethought in many areas including new technologies and evolving best practices, knowledge of current and investigation of potential user communities, elbow grease and serendipity.

This presentation will focus on NCEI’s experiences with taking data beyond independently understandable to reusable by multiple, diverse and evolving user communities.