Workshop Proposal: Mapping a Future for Management of Low-Temperature Geochemical Data: Atlanta, GA or Charlotte, NC - February 2020

Science moves forward at least partly because of data. In turn, publicly accessible datasets are an imperative for a country to benefit from its science. In the past, scientists have relied mostly on printed data, often published in many journals from around the world. Today, data are increasingly available online. The increase in data availability allows scientists to use integrated datasets and to test models. In this period of increasingly 'big data,' scientists are working together with data specialists to learn to manage, share, and interrogate data. Some disciplines lag in the process of publishing data online for data sharing and public accessibility. One example is low-temperature geochemistry and geobiology (LTGG). LTGG includes data for water, soils, rocks, air, organic material, built materials, living organisms, and other materials. The sheer diversity of samples and diversity of types of analyses makes these datasets difficult to manage. Some datasets are very large (sensors, remote sensing) while others are relatively low in volume but high in descriptive complexity. These issues lead to questions about the best way to move forward with data management in LTGG, and the best way to strategize about data publication in this field. This proposed effort will fund a series of webinars, surveys of the community, a workshop, a post-workshop meeting, a white paper, and final publication that will address the question of what to do with data in the field of LTGG. With these publicly accessible outcomes, the work will position the LTGG for a future of data sharing that provides data to the public and promotes open science.

A workshop is proposed to be held in 2020 to develop a proposed roadmap for geochemical data for the Low-Temperature Geochemistry and Geobiology program at NSF. This workshop will bring together leading scientists in the fields of geochemical science and data science. The workshop will be held in university or hotel facilities in a hub for major airlines to facilitate travel by participants. The final goal of this workshop will be to produce a written document that lays the groundwork for advances in management of low-temperature geochemical and geobiological data (with little to no emphasis on genomics data). The first product will be development of a white paper that will be placed online for public comment. After receiving comments, the team will write a peer-reviewed publication with lessons learned and the roadmap. In the workshop, small- and large-group discussions will be fostered so that workshop participants can identify needs within geochemistry and data science that could be addressed. Participants will also develop a list of targeted priorities for the roadmap. All participants will listen to webinars and write text before the workshop: this will ensure that a white paper and final publication will be completed. All facilities and materials will be accessible to anyone who needs accommodations (hearing-, sight-impaired or the physically disabled). The outcome of the project will be a community-led roadmap for moving forward with low-temperature geochemical data.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.