Enabling FAIR: What tools and services do we need to establish a coherent data ecosystem

At the Helmholtz Association, we aim to establish a well-structured and harmonized data space that connects information across distributed data infrastructures. Achieving this goal requires standardizing dataset descriptions using appropriate metadata and defining a single source of truth for much of this metadata, from which different systems can draw. Persistent Identifiers (PIDs) in metadata enable the reuse of common information from shared sources. Broad adoption of PID types enhances interoperability and supports machine-actionable data. As a first step, we recommend implementing ROR, ORCID, IGSN, PIDINST, DataCite DOI, and Crossref DOI in our data systems. However, to practically record and integrate this information into our repositories, we must first identify the specific locations and stakeholders within institutions where this data is generated and maintained. We must also assess which tools and services the Association needs to provide to support seamless data management for its users. In this presentation, we propose and highlight several tools and services to implement across the organization, based on envisioned workflows, to form a coherent data ecosystem. These include, for example, repository software, electronic lab notebooks (ELNs), terminology services, and other infrastructure components. Implementing these tools will support the various stakeholder groups in fulfilling their roles. It will contribute to a fully integrated, FAIR-compliant data collection and publication ecosystem within the Helmholtz Association.