Full-Length Paper

The Evolution, Approval and Implementation of the U.S. Geological Survey Science Data Lifecycle Model

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Abstract

This paper details how the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Community for Data Integration (CDI) Data Management Working Group developed a Science Data Lifecycle Model, and the role the Model plays in shaping agency-wide policies and data management applications. Starting with an extensive literature review of existing data lifecycle models, representatives from various backgrounds in USGS attended a two-day meeting where the basic elements for the Science Data Lifecycle Model were determined. Refinements and reviews spanned two years, leading to finalization of the model and documentation in a formal agency publication¹.

The Model serves as a critical framework for data management policy, instructional resources, and tools. The Model helps the USGS address both the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP)² for increased public access to federally funded research, and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)³ 2013 Open Data directives, as the foundation for a series of agency policies related to data management planning, metadata development, data release procedures, and the long-term preservation of data. Additionally, the agency website devoted to data management instruction and best practices (www2.usgs.gov/datamanagement) is designed around the Model’s structure and concepts. This paper also illustrates how the Model is being used to develop tools for supporting USGS research and data management processes.

¹ The United States Geological Survey Science Data Lifecycle Model http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2013/1265

² OSTP https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ostp/ostp_public_access_memo_2013.pdf

³ OMB https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/whitehouse.gov/files/omb/memoranda/2013/m-13-13.pdf

Keywords: data management, lifecycle model, USGS, geology

How to Cite:

Faundeen, J. L. & Hutchison, V. B., (2017) “The Evolution, Approval and Implementation of the U.S. Geological Survey Science Data Lifecycle Model”, Journal of eScience Librarianship 6(2): 4. doi: https://doi.org/10.7191/jeslib.2017.1117

Rights: Copyright Faundeen & Hutchison © 2017