Perhaps you have been wondering: “How does Lund University’s infrastructures work with Open Science?” We sure have. First out to answer (tricky?) questions on the subject are national and European research infrastructures ACTRIS (Aerosols, Clouds and Trace Gases Research Infrastructure) and ICOS (Integrated Carbon Observation System), represented by Erik Swietlicki (Swedish national contact person for ACTRIS) and Jutta Holst (Swedish national contact person for ICOS).
Kindred research infrastructures hiding in the forest…
With ACTRIS focusing on short-lived climate-affecting air pollutions, and ICOS on persistent greenhouse gases, together they facilitate research on climate change, air quality and the exchange between terrestrial ecosystems and the atmosphere. In brief, this is done by the capturing of greenhouse gases, aerosol particles, meteorological and atmospheric chemical parameters followed by the generating and making available (raw/quality assured) data via ACTRIS Data portal and ICOS Carbon Portal, respectively. Adding to their affinity is the fact that their Lund University affiliated research stations are co-located deep in the lush Scanian forest (at Hyltemossa, close to Perstorp).
The ACTRIS and ICOS user base consists primarily of climate-, earth system- or air quality scientists and modelers who are highly dependent on reliable and diverse observations. Apart from scientific studies, data from ACTRIS and ICOS are also recurrently used by governmental authorities.
…both based on the concept of Open Science
We were curious to know how the principles of Open Science and FAIR data are used in their field of operations, and how this modus operandi makes a difference for the researchers. Turns out, both research infrastructures are fully based on the concept of Open Science, and FAIR data principles are strictly adopted. ACTRIS and ICOS practice according to CC BY 4.0, meaning data can be used by anyone, free of charge and from anywhere in the world, with the only requirement being that users must indicate the origin of that data, i.e. data citation.
In a world increasingly challenged by climate change and pollution, the type of research that ACTRIS and ICOS facilitates is critically important, and much of the work currently done would not have been possible if the data had not been freely and easily available.
When researchers themselves visit the research stations aiming to do specialized measurements using their own equipment, they are explicitly encouraged to follow the principles of Open Science in publishing and making available their own data. In fact, Erik and Jutta lets us know that they are currently working on developing a system to help users with this in the future. The need for this kind of support is especially apparent when it comes to metadata (that describes what the data contains and where it is made available).
Both agree that Open Science is the new standard for all research data, and that data funded by taxes and of great interest to citizens must be made available in an effective way. However, much work remains to implement this principle.
Data citation and other challenges
On the topic of data citation, Erik and Jutta emphasize that this is simply a matter of good research practice and that data citation is fully comparable to the citation of other sources, e.g. peer-reviewed articles. They continue:
“Citing and acknowledging data from our infrastructures is also a way of showing appreciation to the people in the network, such as researchers, engineers and data managers, who produce and quality-assure our data and make it accessible and useful to all.”
That said, it is a bit of a challenge to see ACTRIS and ICOS data cited correctly, but they are working to make the rules clearer and raise awareness of the importance of data citation for the survival of research infrastructures.
Continuing the topic of challenges: to get users to even go through with making their data available in the first place sure poses one. Erik and Jutta explain that since researchers use their own funds, they are not guided by the same requirements as ACTRIS and ICOS to deliver data to online portals. Furthermore, ACTRIS and ICOS have no say in the “where and how” data should be shared, hence it’s not given that an externally funded researcher’s data will become linked to their data offer. According to Erik and Jutta, part of the solution is a systematic and joint solution for the management, storage and distribution of both metadata and data, free of charge and open to not just Lund University researchers but anyone regardless of academic affiliation, in Sweden and beyond.
Explosions, fires and volcanic eruptions
To round off (and to provide some understanding on the cool applications of ACTRIS/ICOS data):
ACTRIS: Data from ACTRIS helps authorities across Europe to get a better understanding of the consequences of air pollution episodes, large-scale forest fires and volcanic eruptions. In other words, the sort of events that you really would want to keep track of.
ICOS: Following the explosion of the Nordstream gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea, methane gas levels became locally enhanced, and were registered by ICOS equipment (most apparently at Hyltemossa). These data have afterwards helped many different actors in Sweden and around the world to improve models on how gas spreads from a point source.
A sincere thanks to Erik and Jutta for sharing their facts and thoughts!
Websites:
ACTRIS SWEDEN https://www.actris.se/
ICOS SWEDEN https://www.icos-sweden.se/
On data citation:
ACTRIS and ICOS follow the Force 11 Joint Declaration of Citation Principles, which recognizes data as important and citable research products. Read more about these principles here.
Join the ICOS data citation campaign, primarily aimed at users but also scientific journals and reviewers of scientific papers. Spread the word!