Cross-Cutting Data Interoperability & Harmonization Innovation Summit 2025 — Group 18
From Data Chaos to Community Standards
ESIIL Group 18's Journey Through the Metadata Maze
"Data on its own is not inherently useful — you need metadata and context. There's no problem that's not interdisciplinary, so it would be better if it wasn't so hard and time-intensive to collaborate." — heard in our discussion sessions
Our Journey: Navigating the Groan Zone
Two intensive days, 9 environmental scientists, one big challenge: making data work better for everyone.
🎯 Day 1: The Big Picture Problem
We started with grand ambitions—tackle all the data interoperability challenges in environmental science! But reality hit: we couldn't write a meaningful paper without understanding what researchers actually do with their data.
🤔 The Realization
Hurricane path data scattered across federal sources. Agricultural sampling methods buried in cryptic metadata. eDNA methods changing faster than we could keep up. The problem wasn't abstract—it was personal.
💡 Day 2: The Strategic Pivot
Instead of assuming solutions, we decided to ask the right questions first. What do researchers actually need? How do they currently handle metadata? What are the real barriers?
🛠️ Evidence-Based Solutions
Now we're building tools informed by real researcher needs: live polling at this summit, comprehensive post-event surveys, and practical guidelines for OASIS that actually work in the field. This evidence gathering is directly informing our perspectives paper for Environmental Data Science.
From Divergent Thinking to Convergent Action
We embraced the "Groan Zone" — that uncomfortable but creative space between brainstorming and decision-making.
Divergent Ideas
Best practices, training materials, repository audits, improving current repositories, creating ESIIL-Zenodo communities, developing data cube standards, AI tools for metadata generation — we explored everything
Groan Zone
Frustration led to breakthrough: we need data before prescribing solutions, we need to study the weaknesses of current initiatives, we can actually work on a solution to OASIS
Convergent Action
Tools to gather information, write a perspective paper, create resources for researchers
What We're Building
📊 Live Community Polling
Right here at the summit — understanding how you identify datasets, what barriers you face, and where the biggest pain points lie in data discoverability.
Active Now📝 Comprehensive Post-Survey
Detailed follow-up exploring metadata practices, repository usage, interoperability challenges, and time spent on data preparation across disciplines.
Coming Soon📑 Call-to-Action Paper
Evidence-based recommendations for Environmental Data Science journal, targeting spring 2026 publication with concrete, actionable standards.
Spring 2026🔧 OASIS Integration
Practical metadata guidelines and tools integrated into ESIIL's Open Analysis and Synthesis Infrastructure, making standards accessible where researchers actually work.
In DevelopmentWhy This Matters
🔍 The Hidden Time Sink
Researchers spend hours, days, even weeks hunting for datasets and preparing them for analysis. Imagine if that time could be spent on actual discovery instead.
🌐 The Interdisciplinary Imperative
Climate change doesn't respect disciplinary boundaries. Hurricane impacts involve meteorology, ecology, sociology, economics, and more. Our data should connect as easily as the problems do.
🚀 Future-Proofing Science
We can't predict what our data will be useful for in the future, but we can ensure it's equipped to be discovered, understood, and reused by the next generation of researchers.
Our Team Values in Action
All Voices Welcome
We invite perspectives from every discipline
Consensus-Building
We strive for solutions everyone can support
Active Listening
Every perspective leads with curiosity
Evidence-Based
We check our assumptions with real data
AI-Transparent
We're open about how we use AI tools
Dependable
We deliver on our commitments
Our Unique Approach
While most FAIR data initiatives create complex standards that are "challenging for typical researchers to understand and implement," we're taking a different path:
🏥 Learning from Success Stories
ESS-DIVE shows what's possible: high-quality standards, clear templates, rigorous quality control. We're studying what makes them successful and how to apply those lessons elsewhere.
👥 Community-Centric Design
Researchers first, standards second: Instead of top-down mandates, we're building from the ground up, understanding actual workflows and pain points.
🔬 Evidence-Based Development
Data about data practices: Our surveys and polls aren't just consultation — they're research that will inform practical, adoptable solutions.
🛠️ Implementation-Ready Tools
From theory to practice: Our OASIS integration ensures recommendations become accessible tools in researchers' actual workflows.
Join the Conversation
Your experience matters. Help us understand the real challenges and build better solutions.
Take Our Live Poll Join the Follow-up SurveyTogether, we're not just managing data — we're accelerating discovery.
Team
Name | Contact | GitHub |
---|---|---|
Nilima Islam Luba | nluba002@fiu.edu | @nluba |
Juan P. Maestre | juanpedro.maestre@utexas.edu | @DrMaestre |
Sarah Cuprewich | sarah.a.cuprewich.gr@dartmouth.edu | @sajc36 |
Dana Gehring | Danag@olc.edu | @drg799802 |
Trisha Spanbauer | trisha.spanbauer@uky.edu | @trispan |
Moriah Young | youngmor@msu.edu@.edu | @moriahy |
Maricela Abarca | mabarca@stanford.edu | @myabarca |
Nilima Islam Luba | nluba002@fiu.edu | @nluba |
Sara Emery | see68@cornell.edu | @saraemery |
Ed Hackett | ehackett@asu.edu | |
Abdulganiyu Jimoh | abdulganiyu.jimoh@usu.edu | @Jimoh1993 |
And more (upcoming)! |
Our norms as they were born
Raw photo location: assets/our_norms.png
Data management resources
Cite & reuse
If you use these materials, please cite:
ESIIL Innovation Summit Team 18. (2025). Cross-Cutting Data Interoperability & Harmonization Innovation Summit 2025 — Group 18. https://github.com/CU-ESIIL/cross-cutting-data-interoperability-harmonization-innovation-summit-2025__18
License: CC-BY-4.0 unless noted. See dataset licenses on the Data page.