Periodic Reporting for period 1 - FAIR-EASE (FAIR EArth Sciences & Environment services)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2022-09-01 al 2023-08-31
The European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) is an ecosystem of research data and related services. In a world where all societal and scientific challenges are intertwined, it is urgent to launch multidisciplinary initiatives and projects so that scientists from different domains can collaborate. In order to carry out multidisciplinary projects, it becomes essential to develop gateways between metadata standards that will allow the matching of data representations designed for different domains. The opening of these gateways is therefore necessary for developing services across the disciplines, which is a key concept in the EOSC interoperability framework and the focus of the FAIR-EASE project.
FAIR-EASE focuses on opening these gateways for the earth and environmental sciences which require a large volume of data from sources such as satellite, in-situ observations, models, and even omics experiments. Earth system domains are interconnected, but the present digital architecture is based essentially on distributed and domain-dependent data repositories inducing real difficulties for integrated uses of all the environmental data. This creates barriers for several studies with large societal impacts, such as climate change, agriculture and food, human safety and health.
To go beyond this state-of-the-art, the overall objective of FAIR-EASE is to customize and operate distributed and integrated services for observation and modelling of the Earth system, environment and biodiversity by improving their different components implemented in close cooperation with user-communities, the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) and research infrastructures in their design and sustainable availability.
FAIR-EASE focuses on opening these gateways for the earth and environmental sciences which require a large volume of data from sources such as satellite, in-situ observations, models, and even omics experiments. Earth system domains are interconnected, but the present digital architecture is based essentially on distributed and domain-dependent data repositories inducing real difficulties for integrated uses of all the environmental data. This creates barriers for several studies with large societal impacts, such as climate change, agriculture and food, human safety and health.
To go beyond this state-of-the-art, the overall objective of FAIR-EASE is to customize and operate distributed and integrated services for observation and modelling of the Earth system, environment and biodiversity by improving their different components implemented in close cooperation with user-communities, the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) and research infrastructures in their design and sustainable availability.
The project current implementation is successfully heading towards full achievement of its objectives, through a set of actions coordinated both within the projects and with other actors at the European level, EOSC-related projects and the EOSC Association, as well as at a national level fostering linkages with local initiatives.
Since its inception, the project performed technical and organisational activities to ensure the achievement of the general goal of contributing to progressive implementation of EOSC. From the more technical side, the project built on the concept of customization and integration of pre-operational services with (i) the development of the components of an Interdisciplinary Data Discovery and Access Service (IDDAS), (ii) the identification of the best technical architecture for the Earth Analytical Lab (EAL) supporting, through web-based interfaces, processing tools and on-demand data visualization services. These activities have been performed assessing the feasible technical boundaries of the required solutions identified in close cooperation with the 3 Use-case (UC) and the 5 Pilots. To enhance both the knowledge of the project and the feedback from external partners and communities, FAIR-EASE also designed and started deployment of a complete dissemination and outreach strategy.
Since its inception, the project performed technical and organisational activities to ensure the achievement of the general goal of contributing to progressive implementation of EOSC. From the more technical side, the project built on the concept of customization and integration of pre-operational services with (i) the development of the components of an Interdisciplinary Data Discovery and Access Service (IDDAS), (ii) the identification of the best technical architecture for the Earth Analytical Lab (EAL) supporting, through web-based interfaces, processing tools and on-demand data visualization services. These activities have been performed assessing the feasible technical boundaries of the required solutions identified in close cooperation with the 3 Use-case (UC) and the 5 Pilots. To enhance both the knowledge of the project and the feedback from external partners and communities, FAIR-EASE also designed and started deployment of a complete dissemination and outreach strategy.
The expected results and related impacts of the FAIR-EASE project are described below:
1. Increased availability of (pre)operational services that can be customised and integrated in the existing workflows of researchers across different disciplines, facilitating the cross-disciplinary collaboration, reducing the time to results and increasing productivity.
FAIR-EASE will deliver three major technical services components: (i) the Earth Analytic Lab (EAL); (ii) the Interdisciplinary Data Discovery and Access Service (IDDAS). Briefly, the EAL is a web-based Virtual Research Environment (VRE) for the Earth System providing users with an easy way to visualise, analyse and process environmental data on-demand, i.e. according to their specific objectives, thematic, geographical areas and temporal slots of interest. The IDDAS is the VRE component enabling generic data discovery. It provides an overview of data across several disciplines to make them discoverable, and enables users to access this data in the repositories. More concretely, it provides a harmonised interface to data discovery, access and download services of selected data infrastructures in the EU.
2. Transforming the way researchers create, share and exploit research outputs within and across research disciplines.
Based on two main components described above – the IDDAS and the EAL – and access to new services, Earth Science systems research communities will be able to create and exchange new research outputs. In FAIR-EASE 3 use cases and 5 pilots work to (i) specify and co-design the services and (ii) implement and test these services.
3. Seamless access to and management of increasing volumes of research data and other research outputs stimulating the development and uptake of a wide range of new innovative and value-added services. Concerning this topic, the major challenges identified by FAIR-EASE are: (i) the interoperability and integration of data discovery and access and processing services; (ii) a unify data access layer to facilitate data access, download, process; (iii) developing guidelines for resource providers within existing interoperability frameworks available at community level. Having this in mind, the project will entail a more integrated technical layer through (i) Data discovery services; (ii) Catalog of (direct) data access services; (iii) Subsetting services for direct targeted data access and (iv) pragmatic integration with existing AAI solutions.
4. Improving trust in science through increased FAIRness, openness and quality of scientific research in Europe. FAIR-EASE wants to ensure that the FAIR principles are fully endorsed and implemented in the project’s target communities. With this perspective the project will provide communities-driven guidelines for the improvement of the FAIRness of research outputs.
1. Increased availability of (pre)operational services that can be customised and integrated in the existing workflows of researchers across different disciplines, facilitating the cross-disciplinary collaboration, reducing the time to results and increasing productivity.
FAIR-EASE will deliver three major technical services components: (i) the Earth Analytic Lab (EAL); (ii) the Interdisciplinary Data Discovery and Access Service (IDDAS). Briefly, the EAL is a web-based Virtual Research Environment (VRE) for the Earth System providing users with an easy way to visualise, analyse and process environmental data on-demand, i.e. according to their specific objectives, thematic, geographical areas and temporal slots of interest. The IDDAS is the VRE component enabling generic data discovery. It provides an overview of data across several disciplines to make them discoverable, and enables users to access this data in the repositories. More concretely, it provides a harmonised interface to data discovery, access and download services of selected data infrastructures in the EU.
2. Transforming the way researchers create, share and exploit research outputs within and across research disciplines.
Based on two main components described above – the IDDAS and the EAL – and access to new services, Earth Science systems research communities will be able to create and exchange new research outputs. In FAIR-EASE 3 use cases and 5 pilots work to (i) specify and co-design the services and (ii) implement and test these services.
3. Seamless access to and management of increasing volumes of research data and other research outputs stimulating the development and uptake of a wide range of new innovative and value-added services. Concerning this topic, the major challenges identified by FAIR-EASE are: (i) the interoperability and integration of data discovery and access and processing services; (ii) a unify data access layer to facilitate data access, download, process; (iii) developing guidelines for resource providers within existing interoperability frameworks available at community level. Having this in mind, the project will entail a more integrated technical layer through (i) Data discovery services; (ii) Catalog of (direct) data access services; (iii) Subsetting services for direct targeted data access and (iv) pragmatic integration with existing AAI solutions.
4. Improving trust in science through increased FAIRness, openness and quality of scientific research in Europe. FAIR-EASE wants to ensure that the FAIR principles are fully endorsed and implemented in the project’s target communities. With this perspective the project will provide communities-driven guidelines for the improvement of the FAIRness of research outputs.