AGU’s position statement on data affirms that: “Earth and space science data are a world heritage. Taking proper care of such data is our responsibility and our obligation to future generations.” The rapid growth of research data, thanks to new tools, satellites, and sensors are posing challenges for researchers and repositories to meet these aspirations, which are also the basis for new mandates around data from funders and governments worldwide. Research scientists and data repositories and institutions need to develop and hone skills to address these changes and manage critical data for future use and understanding.
Recognizing the challenges and opportunities provided by the growing importance of data in the Earth and space sciences, AGU is developing new programs to help researchers, aligned professionals, repositories, and institutions obtain and improve skills around data collection, data management, plan development, and curation.
Among these programs are:
- Data Management Assessment: This service is designed to improve data management practices in repositories and institutions by communicating and aligning best practices for small or large data curation efforts.
- Data Management Workshops: These training workshops are designed to help data repositories use best practices to assess and improve their data management practices and become trusted repositories.