Selected Use Cases

Some selected use cases in Helmholtz Earth and Environment

The current strategy of the HMC Hub Earth and Environment focuses on improving metadata interoperability across repositories and communities. To achieve this, we have defined our Road-to-FAIR strategy, which comprises the following building blocks to achieve full interoperability:

1. Consistent use of PID Types (ORCID, ROR, DataCite, Crossref, PIDInst, IGSN)

2. Harmonized use of semantic resources (vocabularies & ontologies)

3. Harmonization of interfaces (common protocols, file formats & schemas)

4. Containerization of metadata (e.g., through FAIR Digital Objects, RO‑Crates, Research Object Containers, Data Type Registry)

Through our consistent counseling of project proposals, we have ensured that each Earth and Environment–related proposal addresses or implements these building blocks in an exemplary or way.

In the following, we list some selected projects and describe how they relate to the building block concept. Please visit the project pages directly to learn more about them and how their results may support your work.

eFAIRs

eFAIRs focused on making seismological data FAIR by improving metadata quality and repository interoperability. Its main achievement was the development of standardized metadata profiles for seismology that enable consistent indexing of seismic waveforms and derived products. The project aligned existing vocabularies for seismological terms and harmonized workflows for data curation, thereby making seismic data more discoverable and reusable across centres. By creating a framework for better semantic alignment and shared exchange protocols, eFAIRs strengthened the community’s ability to integrate seismological data across data infrastructures. (Building Blocks: 1 PIDs, 2 Semantic Resources)

FDO-5DI

FDO-5DI implemented FAIR Digital Objects for 5-dimensional Earth observation imagery (space, time, and parameter axes). It leveraged persistent identifiers for datasets and imagery products and developed harmonized metadata schemas to ensure machine-actionability and long-term traceability. The project’s containerization approach, implementing RDA's FDOs concept, ensures, that data can be linked, validated, and reused automatically. Achievements include prototypes for structured image data packaging and linking to analysis pipelines. (Building Blocks: 1 PIDs, 4 Containers)

ADVANCE

ADVANCE sought to standardize biodiversity monitoring metadata across marine, freshwater, and terrestrial ecosystems. It developed common vocabularies for taxa, sampling protocols, and habitat types and aligned these with existing international ontologies. ADVANCE enabled monitoring data to be compared and combined across domains, enhancing their utility for long-term biodiversity assessments. (Building Blocks: 2 Semantic Resources)

MetaMap³

MetaMap³ aimed to improve cross-domain metadata integration by building automated mapping frameworks. It aligned vocabularies and developed cross-domain schema mappings into ISO19115. Achievements include tools for metadata enrichment and interfaces that make heterogeneous metadata more interoperable, enabling cross-disciplinary discovery. (Building Blocks: 3 Interfaces)

FAIR WISH

FAIR WISH implemented standardized workflows for the registration of physical samples using IGSN. It developed harmonized metadata templates for different sample types (e.g., rocks, water, soil), ensuring sample context and provenance are fully captured. The project improved traceability by linking samples to related datasets and publications via PIDs and provided guidelines for integrating sample metadata into repository interfaces. (Building Blocks: 1 PIDs, 3 Interfaces)

HARMONise

HARMONise tackled metadata heterogeneity in marine biomolecular data (genomics, proteomics, metabolomics) by developing minimal information checklists and common vocabularies. The project harmonized interfaces and metadata schemas across centres, making data easier to integrate and compare in marine biodiversity studies. Achievements include the adoption of standardized descriptors for sample provenance and analytical methods. (Building Blocks: 2 Semantic Resources, 3 Interfaces)

STAMPLATE

STAMPLATE established SensorThings API-based profiles for environmental monitoring networks. It assigned PIDs (PIDINST, ROR) to networks, sensors, and stations and harmonized metadata vocabularies. Achievements include deploying a consistent API implementation across all Earth and Environment Helmholtz centres, making time-series data interoperable and accessible for automated processing. (Building Blocks: 1 PIDs, 3 Interfaces)

MeSyTo

MeSyTo reviewed existing metadata standards and ontologies across fields and generate an integrative, suitable ontology for the annotation of toxicological/pharmacological data and workflows from the experimental design to the data deposit in repositories. The project established a metadata framework for the FAIR description of exposure and experimental settings interlinked with chemical IDs, which will be implemented into the community-based “Galaxy” project. (Building Blocks: 2 Semantic Resources)

MetaSeis

MetaSeis prepares for the future archival of reflection 3D seismic data and active OBS data from recent and future research cruises, adopting and extend existing standards and interoperable vocabularies in the seismic metadata including metadata quality and validation checks. The international cooperation will benefit from synergy with the industrial seismic standard Open Subsurface Data Universe (OSDU) to ensure future cooperation between industry and academic research. (Building Blocks: 2 Semantic Resources, 3 Interfaces)

Moin4Herbie

Moin4Herbie MOIN4Herbie will extend the electronic lab notebook Herbie – developed at the Hereon Institute of Metallic Biomaterials - with ontology-based forms to deliver digital records of sensor maintenance metadata. This will unify sensor maintenance metadata audits, streamline data recording, enable technicians to capture key scientific metadata, and thus enhance the scientific use of sensor data. (Building Blocks: 2 Semantic Resources, 3 Interfaces)

Condensed Building Block Mapping