Glossary

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Terminology

Current State: BCO-DMO's dataset landing pages display a "Current State" field denoting the status of the dataset. The Current States are defined as:

• Data not available = Data are either restricted or have been submitted to BCO-DMO and they are currently being processed or awaiting final review by the data submitter. If restricted, a release date will be displayed on the page.

• Under Revision = A change to the data, resulting in a version number change, has been received and we are currently processing the update or awaiting final review by the data submitter.

• Preliminary and in progress = The data and metadata should be considered preliminary and may be incomplete. Please contact the dataset Contact or PI before using the data.

• Final no updates expected = The data submitter has validated the data and metadata for the current version and no updates are expected.

• Final with updates expected = The data submitter has validated the data and metadata for the current version. Updates to the dataset are expected. This designation is often used to indicate ongoing data updates are expected, such as for time-series datasets.

Data Management Plan: A data management plan, or DMP, is a formal document that outlines what you will do with your data during and after a research project. Proposals submitted to NSF must include a DMP and those submitted to the NSF Division of Ocean Sciences (OCE) must comply with OCE Sample and Data Policy. BCO-DMO has a template designed to help you prepare your DMP for submissions to OCE. For more information, see the "Data Management Plan" page.

Data Package:

Dataset: "Dataset" can mean different things in different contexts, but in the context of a BCO-DMO dataset submission, or a dataset associated with a metadata landing page, a dataset is a singular collection of observation-level data. In the case of tabular or spreadsheet data, this would be one data table in a single spreadsheet. Contrastingly, multiple spreadsheet tabs in an Excel file would constitute multiple data tables (unless they could be merged). In the case of images, a dataset may be composed of a set of images collected within the context of a study, experiment, or instrument deployment.

Dataset Authors: individuals who have contributed to the dataset and will be included in the citation for the dataset

Dataset Metadata Page: A BCO-DMO Dataset Metadata Page (sometimes referred to as a "Dataset Landing Page") displays all of the descriptive metadata associated with a dataset, such as title, PIs, methods, instruments, and parameter definitions. The Metadata Page also provides access to data files and any associated supplemental files.

Deployments: BCO-DMO uses the term "deployment" typically to refer to research cruises or the deployment of a platform (e.g. HOV, mooring) in the field.

Deprecated: In terms of software or programming, "deprecated" refers to a software or programming language feature that is tolerated or supported, but not recommended. Similarly, at BCO-DMO a dataset that is "deprecated" has been superseded by another version. The deprecated dataset is not necessarily erroneous unless indicated otherwise, but its use is not recommended.

ERDDAP: ERDDAP is a data server that provides a simple, consistent way to download subsets of scientific datasets in common file formats. Many different organizations and data repositories use ERDDAP to distribute data. BCO-DMO's ERDDAP can be found at https://erddap.bco-dmo.org/erddap/index.html.

FAIR Data Principles: Guiding principles for making digital assets Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable. Find more information here.

File Format: The structure of your file. Note that the extension may not completely describe the structure within your file. For example, a .txt file can contain any ASCII text whether it is a comma, tab, or space-delimited dataset.

File Group: Multiple data files that comprise one dataset. The files contain the same type of data and are formatted the same. If applicable, these files can be combined into one data table after submission.

Metadata: Metadata can be thought of as "data about data". Metadata is the documentation that accompanies data. For BCO-DMO datasets, metadata fields include a description of acquisition and processing methods, instruments used, column descriptions, funding awards, and investigators, among others.

Metadata Forms (.rtf): Metadata Forms in .rtf format are available as an alternative to our Submission Tool. These forms are downloadable and fillable offline. The Dataset Metadata Form should be filled out when submitting data. The Project Metadata Form should be filled out when registering a project.

Parameters: BCO-DMO typically uses the term "parameter" interchangeably with "column name" or "column header". Parameters are the measurements reported in a dataset.

Platforms:

Program:

Project Page: A BCO-DMO Project Page (sometimes referred to as a "Project Landing Page") displays all of the descriptive metadata associated with a project, such as the start and end dates, project summary, and funding awards. The Project Page also provides access to the Dataset Metadata Pages of those datasets associated with the project.

Project Registration: the process of setting up a BCO-DMO project page.

.rtf: a file extension for rich text format files. By default, your system may open an .rtf file in a plain text editor. If that is the case, you can right-click to open the file in Microsoft Word, which may enable you to see and edit the formatting of this file more easily.

Restricted: BCO-DMO's dataset landing pages display a "Restricted" field denoting the availability of the dataset. "No" means the data are or will be publicly available. "Yes" means the data are restricted and will not be published or shared publicly before the release date specified by the data submitter. The term "embargoed data" is often used interchangeably with "restricted data".

LSID: Life Sciences Identifier "persistent, location-independent, resource identifiers for uniquely naming biologically significant resources" from Object Management Group: Life Sciences Identifiers final adopted specification. OMG Document dtc/04-05-01. 2004

Tabular Data (or Data Tables):

Submission Status: Refer to our Submission Tool FAQs for a description of each status.

Submission Tool: BCO-DMO's Submission Tool, found at https://submit.bco-dmo.org/, is an online tool that allows users to submit datasets to and register projects with BCO-DMO. If you'd prefer to email your submission to BCO-DMO, use our downloadable Metadata Forms (.rtf) instead. The downloadable, fillable forms can be found on our website at https://www.bco-dmo.org/how-get-started.

Validated: BCO-DMO's dataset landing pages display a "Validated" field denoting the validation status of the dataset. "Yes" means the data submitter has reviewed and approved the data and metadata. "No" means BCO-DMO has not received the final approval from the data submitter.

Validation: (or "Dataset Validation")

Version Number: This is the dataset version identifier. When any data files are updated the dataset gets a new version number.

Version Date: The date when the dataset version number is assigned in format YYYY-MM-DD.

Acronyms

BCO-DMO: Biological and Chemical Oceanography Data Management Office

DMP: Data Management Plan

DOI: Digital Object Identifier

ERDDAP: "ERDDAP" used to be an acronym, but it outgrew that original description. Now, please just think of it as a name, not an acronym.

FAIR: Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable

GMBF: Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation

NSF: National Science Foundation

OCE: The National Science Foundation's Division of Ocean Sciences

OPP: The National Science Foundation's Office of Polar Programs

• May also refer to the Ocean Protein Portal (https://www.oceanproteinportal.org/)

ORCID: ORCID, which stands for Open Researcher and Contributor ID, is a global, not-for-profit organization that provides a unique, persistent identifier for individuals. An ORCID iD is an identifier assigned to an individual. At BCO-DMO, you'll need to have an ORCID iD to use our online submission tool. To learn more about the benefits of having an ORCID iD, visit https://info.orcid.org/benefits-for-researchers/.

R2R: Rolling Deck to Repository (https://www.rvdata.us/). R2R provides preservation and distribution of the environmental sensor data routinely acquired on expeditions of the U.S. academic research fleet.

WHOAS: Woods Hole Open Access Server (https://darchive.mblwhoilibrary.org/). WHOAS is a repository that accepts hundreds of different data types from researchers based in the Woods Hole research community and provides access based on the FAIR data principles. BCO-DMO archives its data holdings in WHOAS. BCO-DMO's WHOAS records can be found at https://darchive.mblwhoilibrary.org/handle/1912/4135.