NFDI Commons

The overall goal of NFDI4Earth's NFDI Commons is to develop a common vision for the NFDI, to integrate and link NFDI4Earth into this and to facilitate cross-disciplinary FAIR data sharing. Therefore, it promotes the communication between NFDI4Earth TAs and other NFDI consortia in all research fields, establishes, and maintains relations between NFDI4Earth and relevant national RDM stakeholders with focus on ESS data.
The NFDI4Earth infrastructure, its architecture, tools, websites, interfaces, etc., has counterparts within, as well as outside the NFDI, e.g., DFG-funded CRCs, governmental institutions, libraries, etc. The NFDI4Earth will become the connecting ESS node in this network of German ESS RDM infrastructures. Hence, it is a key necessity to fully embed and connect the NFDI4Earth architecture with all national ESS RDM stakeholders. Furthermore, many RDM topics benefit from or even require common solutions, e.g., legal, privacy or ethical issues, managing long-tail data, PIDs or describing data provenance.
We will identify, communicate and coordinate RDM aspects that are independent of the scientific target group but relevant across other NFDI consortia to address cross-cutting issues and contribute to the NFDI Research Data Commons, in accordance with the initial declarations on cross-cutting topics (Bierwirth et al.; Glöckner et al., 2019). We will monitor concepts of other stakeholders and communicate new developments to the appropriate TA/Measures. We will also develop transfer strategies for NFDI4Earth components that qualify as general concepts for the NFDI.
Similarly, we will liaise with governmental institutions, research institutes, libraries, IT centres, and related networks (e.g., DWD, UBA, BSH, BKG, LG GDI-DE, RfII, RDA Germany, the Alliance of science organisations, DINI), with interests in FAIR (geo)spatial research data. Note, that academic societies are dealt with in 2Coordinate, as they are important ESS-stakeholders and potential drivers of cultural change, but typically do not engage in RDM on their own. We will develop these cross-cutting tasks by reviewing concepts and user demands, coordinate their adoption in NFDI4Earth TAs, and ensure cross-discipline interoperability with a focus on spatial data. Conversely, NFDI4Earth concepts and methods will be communicated to other NFDI consortia and other German ESS RDM stakeholders.
The work with other NFDI and RDM stakeholders on common approaches and cross-cutting issues requires an accessible resource documenting the architecture of the NFDI4Earth, its progress, products and services. We want the inner workings of the NFDI4Earth – its architecture, structure, etc. – to be easily understandable, accessible, transparent, and inviting for everyone. We will compile a Living (i.e. continuously updated) Handbook providing low-threshold access to all relevant information on NFDI4Earth as well as topics benefit from or even require common solutions, e.g., legal, privacy or ethical issues, managing long-tail data, PIDs or describing data provenance.