Researcher Manager Researcher Researcher Researcher Consultant Service lab Service lab PI lab wiDB Distributed CI (DataONE, EarthCube) Waterisotopes.org Portal Community IsoMAP.org wiSamples App wiLabs App wiDB API Compressing the data lifecycle: Can laboratories be a bridge to open data in the stable isotope research community? Gabriel J. Bowen, Geology & Geophysics, University of Utah; gabe.bowen@utah.edu, @bumbanian Stakeholder: Data-Producing Isotope Scientist Challenges: Workload of data management plan; organizing and securing data for large projects; in- formation loss throughout project lifetime; needs control of data and credit for effort Solutions: wiSamples App streamlines collection and storage of robust, standardized metadata from project start; integration with wi information infrastructure supports data security and removes burden of end-of-project archival; community portals create exposure for project while allowing scientist-contributors to control data from their projects Archival and sharing of data is increasingly emphasized as a critical com- ponent of the science endeavor and lies at the heart of the ‘big data’ revolu- tion. As traditionally structured, however, this process is arduous and pro- tracted. The data lifecycle begins with project conception and extends through data collection, analysis, and publication prior to archival. In this model, archival becomes an afterthought and added workload on the re- searcher, and the archived products are often incomplete or poorly struc- tured, reflecting the outcomes of a specific research project rather than the nature of the samples and observations themselves. Widespread reliance on centralized laboratories and a limited suite of ana- lytical equipment in fields such as stable isotope biogeoscience offers po- tential to ‘compress’ the data lifecycle. All laboratories utilize some type of formal or informal data management system. Data generated in the lab are formatted and organized during the analysis and post-analysis data reduc- tion process, offering the ability to ‘capture’ data in a standardized format at this early lifecycle stage. Early capture ensures that data are preserved with minimal information loss and reduces workload in later stages of re- search. It maximizes data security and can support a variety of models for open data and open science, depending on investigator preference. We describe a model system developed for direct capture and distribution of water isotope data from analytical laboratories, and how the implemen- tation of the system provides benefits to multiple stakeholders. We note cultural and technical challenges related to the development and adoption of such a system, and describe design decisions made in order to address these. We argue that the potential benefits of such an approach in stable isotope biogeosciences are significant, stimulate discussion of future ef- forts in this domain, and solicit partners who are interested in exploring the potential of a lab-centric model to condense the data lifecycle and sup- port the growth of open science in our field. Organize sample collec- tion by projects to coordi- nate sampling teams or standardize metadata for individual sampling bouts. Online and offline modes obtain and display existing collection sites, allowing collector to associate new samples with existing sites. Sample properties are set leveraging mobile device data (e.g., location, date and time) to reduce collector’s workload. Sample lists can be creat- ed on-the-go using custom or standardized, auto-gen- erated IDs. Stakeholder: Laboratory Manager Challenges: Establishing and main- taining data management system sup- porting QA/QC activities, data reduc- tion and reporting, and secure data storage, often with little to no support; key piece of data pipeline but not in- volved in traditional data preservation efforts Solutions: wiLabs App provides tools supporting lab data management de- mands and ‘plugs in’ to d