9. Implementing the FAIR Principles: project planning recommendations

Figure 3: Conceptual diagram of the FAIR roadmap for 'dark' (non-digital, not accessible, unstructured) data: Each curve represents a step towards increasing the value and potential of 'dark' data for science. Easterday, K. / Paulson, T. / DasMohapatra, P. et al.: From the Field to the Cloud: A Review of Three Approaches to Sharing Historical Data From Field Stations Using Principles From Data Science, in: Frontiers in Environmental Science, 2018. CC-BY 4.0

Researchers are increasingly being required to implement the FAIR Principles in their projects, which involve digital materials and methods. Since this goal must be achieved within a limited project timeframe for a specific research question, the implementation of FAIR should be an integral part of the planning and execution of work packages from the very beginning.

This challenge is even more complex for museums, archives, and other collecting memory institutions. They typically manage inventory data on their collections, which, as dynamic data, is continuously developed over long periods without a defined endpoint. Such data poses specific challenges: it must remain current, complete, and accurate, even as knowledge about the objects changes and new questions arise. Often, there is a desire to adopt a more critical and differentiated approach to the documentation, which imposes new requirements for maintaining earlier knowledge through data versioning, providing more comprehensive source references, and managing uncertain information. The demands on the capabilities of the database evolve: what once served merely as an inventory system may now become a collection management system supporting a wide variety of communication and operational processes for the institution and its partners. Research results obtained through provenance research or for exhibition projects must be integrated. The publication of collection data on the institution’s online database, sharing with cultural heritage portals, and providing data through interfaces have become increasingly important. As the value of the data increases, institutions seek new professional solutions for long-term data preservation.

The necessary strategic shifts often need to be made during ongoing operations, under predefined conditions. These shifts mainly affect long-term tasks, and it is often challenging to secure additional resources to support them.

If a more sustainable and broader usability of the data is to be achieved in line with the FAIR Principles, the first step should be to review and adjust the institution's digital strategy. The executive level of an institution should support the reorientation in order to give the project the necessary priority and to secure the required staff and financial means. To move beyond mere declarations of intent, an action plan is necessary, outlining goals and priorities in relation to available resources, and leading to a concrete reorientation of activities in collection processing and data management.