PRESERVING GEOSCIENCE DATA: LESSONS LEARNED IN INVENTORYING AN INSTITUTION

An institution’s properly catalogued geoscience data constitute a unique and unconventional resource library of increasing value. However, to ensure their use, data must be discoverable and accessible. Once lost within an organization, data remain useless unless rediscovered. Adequate cataloging of data can seem time-consuming and initially unrewarding, yet multidisciplinary organizations simply cannot afford to lose valuable data by neglecting documentation procedures and relying solely on institutional memory for their recall. All too often, institutional memory of inestimable value is lost when a longtime employee leaves the institution.

The Indiana Geological Survey (IGS) has undertaken the task of inventorying and cataloging new and historical files and records, samples, field and laboratory data and analyses, maps, photographs, digital datasets, and publications in an effort to capture institutional memory before more is lost. The inventory initiative has included all staff across all IGS disciplines and organizational levels. Important logistical considerations included: efficiency and ease of the inventory process, design of inventory forms, lumping and splitting of items into various categories, resource needs (personnel, equipment, supplies), inventory database design, metadata and quality assurance, public vs. proprietary data, bar-coding, prioritization of data capture, staff training, ease of data retrieval, and Internet deliverability of selected records.

Since virtually all of the data at the IGS have a geospatial component, metadata are used to standardize data structure and facilitate their discovery and access. The IGS staff are trained and encouraged to construct metadata incrementally throughout the life of a project, thereby providing a means to ensure that adequate documentation of data is captured. The same procedures will be implemented for historical records and data.

The ultimate goal is to increase the value of already valuable data and make them easier to access, retrieve, and use. The IGS Intranet provides staff with a metadata keyword and category search engine to locate samples or data within the organization. The IGS Internet site will provide the public with similar access to selected downloadable data.