Establishing a Data Culture Using Frameworks to Navigate the Waves of Marine Data

Sarah Flynn; Tara Keena; Yvonne Bogan; Laura Brophy; David Currie; Adam Leadbetter; Martina Maloney; Keith Manson; Colin Melville; Eoin O’Grady; Rob Thomas; Brendan Whittle; Andrew Conway

doi:10.5334/dsj-2025-024

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Table 1

ISO requirement statements.

CHAPTERS OF ISO 9001:2015	‘SHALL’ (LINE STATEMENTS)	COMPLIANCE	EFFECTIVENESS	RISK-BASED THINKING
Total	131 (368)	368	736	1,104

Open Archive Information System (OAIS) model depicting how DM-QMF can become ingestion suite.

Table 2

Benefits of the DM-QMF.

COMMUNICATION CHANNEL	BENEFIT
Formal*	Improves customer satisfaction: Delivering a more consistent service/product using well documented processes and procedures.
	Increases staff Engagement.
	Improves risk management.
	Aids reduction of waste.
	Provides direction for defining, improving, and controlling processes.
	Facilitates and helps identify training opportunities.
	Aids with setting organisation-wide direction.
	Communicates an ability and commitment to produce consistent high-quality results.
Informal^	Greater consistency in data products and services produced by the MI.
	Increased efficiency by improving time and resources, improved customer satisfaction.
	Consistency with all processes across the service areas.
	Continuous assessment and opportunities for improvement.
	Training materials for all staff – particular benefit to new starters.
	Reduced risk of undocumented processes and procedures.
	The identification of any sensitives associated with General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) as well as the more recent Artificial Intelligence Act.
	Ensuring the quality of the management of data for use in Marine Spatial Planning, Marine Strategy Framework Directive, European Maritime Fisheries Fund, and other data-demanding legislative drivers into the future.
	The use of data visualisation dashboards is gaining traction which offers further insights into the underlying data; from a Quality Control perspective but also added value opportunities.

[i] *Formal benefits were captured as part of an OceanTeacher Global Academy Training Course that was developed and delivered by originators of the DM-QMF at the Marine Institute October 2020 (UNESCO, 2002).

^Informal communications with Data Stewards and Data Coordinators within the Marine Institute (pers. comms).

Table 3

Benefits of a Digital Preservation Framework (CTS).

COMMUNICATION CHANNEL	BENEFIT
Formal*	Validates the quality and transparency of internal processes
	Increases awareness of and compliance with established standards
	Builds stakeholder confidence
	Enhances the reputation of the NODC
	Demonstrates that the NODC is following best practices
	Is a benchmark for comparison and helps to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the NODC
Informal^	Provides a framework for the policies and practices related to scientific data curation and preservation
	Provides assurance that data are preserved and can be reused in the future
	Helps plan data preservation sustainably
	The IODE has confirmed reaccreditation of the MI’s existing Data Management Quality Management framework (Reed, 2023, p. 10)^^

[i] *Formal benefits as depicted by CTS themselves.

^Informal communications (pers, comms).

^^ ‘Any NODC or ADU that has been certified by CoreTrustSeal will be awarded the status of Accredited IODE National Oceanographic Data Centre or Accredited IODE Associate Data Unit provided they can show evidence of (i) providing national reports to the IODE Committee, and (ii) adherence to IODE Standards and Best Practice.’

Table 4

Mapping between FAIR, CTS requirements and how the MI has met these requirements.

FAIR PRINCIPLES	NODC ‘APPROACH’	CHECKS IN PLACE
FINDABLE	The Data Catalogue publishes metadata for datasets and services in ISO 19115/19139 based XML format (in compliance with the INSPIRE directive) and provides comprehensive metadata for each dataset. Datasets are indexed with consistent metadata that makes them easily searchable. A dissemination checklist examines the process by which each step of a Consumer request for data is managed within the NODC. The Data Catalogue contains a record of all datasets contained within the NODC along with the relevant information as captured within the Service Agreement, including citation details. The Data Catalogue assigns a unique identifier to each dataset of the form ‘ie.marine.data:dataset.{dataset_id}’ so the dataset can be tracked in downstream aggregators. A digital object identifier through a contract with DataCite may be applied to datasets via the Data Catalogue. These unique IDs are used to provide cross-linkages in the metadata where appropriate. Metadata records can also be harvested from the Data Catalogue to other metadata catalogues, portals and aggregators, facilitating better discoverability.	The DM-QMF (aligned to ISO 9001) requires the population of a Data Catalogue record as part of the implementation pack. The NODC follows the best practice guidance as described in the Draft Data Preservation Policy. This includes the ISO 14721 (OAIS Model) for storage as well as the other preservation functions.
ACCESSIBLE	Where available, the metadata provided by the Marine Institute data catalogue includes access links to the datasets and data services. The catalogue provides datasets in machine-readable formats (e.g., CSV, NetCDF, or GeoTIFF). The MI Data Catalogue meets domain-specific, community-defined standards, and legislative requirements placed on data publishers. Schemas and standards include ISO 19115/19139 based XML, Datacite and Observations and Measurements (O&M). The XML is harvested into the MI’s Data Catalogue, which provides an OGC Catalogue Service for the Web endpoint, allows machine harvesting to other portals including the Irish Spatial Data Exchange (ISDE), and to the Irish Open Data Portal. Data is accessed via defined protocols to ensure data is accessed reliably and securely. Many datasets contain URLs for dataset downloads and other RESTful URLs.	A Data Catalogue has been developed to export metadata for datasets and services in ISO 19115/19139 based XML format in compliance with the INSPIRE implementing rules for metadata (Leadbetter et al., 2020b).
INTEROPERABLE	The use of standardised formats, and vocabularies support data integration and interoperability. The Data Catalogue uses well-managed, community governed controlled vocabularies, including the SeaDataNet Vocabularies and British Oceanographic Data Centre (BODC) Vocabularies. Detailed description of parameters within datasets enables mapping to BODC Parameter Usage Vocabulary (PUV) and its semantic model. The BODC PUV is a controlled vocabulary for labelling variables in databases and data files in oceanography and related domains; a collection of unique and persistent identifiers attached to structurally logical labels and textual definitions. These controlled vocabularies are hosted on vocabulary servers which also enable FAIR principles using web semantic description, and are reachable through SPARQL endpoints Data citations are provided for datasets.	OGC CSW (Catalog Service for the Web) which aligns with ISO 19128: supports metadata retrieval using ISO 19115/ISO 19139 standards, ensuring compatibility with standardised metadata schemas
REUSABLE	Records in the Data Catalogue provide sufficient detail and metadata to ensure reproducibility and future use Lineage Statements: Information and references for sources and processes that were used to create the dataset and an audit trail for modifications to the original data. ISO 19115:2014, meeting the FAIR principles on re-use’s requirement around dataset provenance Licence Conditions: providing official permission to do, use or own something. Data licenses exist on a spectrum from entirely open to very restricted. As per MI Data Policy (Workflow) e.g., CC-BY 4.0, meeting the FAIR principle on re-use’s requirement around advertising a data license and where possible using an open license Documentation can be included to provide the context of how data was generated and should be interpreted using a Supplementary Information field and linking with the Marine Institute’s Open Access Repository (OAR) where applicable. The OAR collects, preserves and provides open access to the publications of the Marine Institute Under the Digital Preservation Framework, certified under CoreTrustSeal, the criteria for data integrity and requirements for a preservation plan ensures that data is curated with long-term reuse in mind.	A Data Catalogue has been developed to export metadata for datasets and services in ISO 19115/19139 based XML format in compliance with the INSPIRE implementing rules for metadata (Leadbetter et al., 2020b). The Digital Preservation Framework, Certified under CoreTrustSeal, is aligned to ISO 16363 which is a standard for Trust Digital Repositories.

Establishing a Data Culture Using Frameworks to Navigate the Waves of Marine Data

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