Powers Christina M, Mills Karmann A, Morris Stephanie A, Klaessig Fred, Gaheen Sharon, Lewinski Nastassja, Ogilvie Hendren Christine
National Center for Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 109 TW Alexander Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, USA ; Currently: Office of Transportation and Air Quality, Office of Air Quality, 2000 Traverwood Rd, Ann Arbor, MI 48105, USA.
RTI International, 3040 Cornwallis Rd., Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA.
Beilstein J Nanotechnol. 2015 Sep 4;6:1860-71. doi: 10.3762/bjnano.6.189. eCollection 2015.
There is a critical opportunity in the field of nanoscience to compare and integrate information across diverse fields of study through informatics (i.e., nanoinformatics). This paper is one in a series of articles on the data curation process in nanoinformatics (nanocuration). Other articles in this series discuss key aspects of nanocuration (temporal metadata, data completeness, database integration), while the focus of this article is on the nanocuration workflow, or the process of identifying, inputting, and reviewing nanomaterial data in a data repository. In particular, the article discusses: 1) the rationale and importance of a defined workflow in nanocuration, 2) the influence of organizational goals or purpose on the workflow, 3) established workflow practices in other fields, 4) current workflow practices in nanocuration, 5) key challenges for workflows in emerging fields like nanomaterials, 6) examples to make these challenges more tangible, and 7) recommendations to address the identified challenges. Throughout the article, there is an emphasis on illustrating key concepts and current practices in the field. Data on current practices in the field are from a group of stakeholders active in nanocuration. In general, the development of workflows for nanocuration is nascent, with few individuals formally trained in data curation or utilizing available nanocuration resources (e.g., ISA-TAB-Nano). Additional emphasis on the potential benefits of cultivating nanomaterial data via nanocuration processes (e.g., capability to analyze data from across research groups) and providing nanocuration resources (e.g., training) will likely prove crucial for the wider application of nanocuration workflows in the scientific community.
纳米科学领域存在一个至关重要的机遇，即通过信息学（即纳米信息学）来比较和整合不同研究领域的信息。本文是关于纳米信息学数据管理过程（纳米管理）系列文章之一。该系列的其他文章讨论了纳米管理的关键方面（时间元数据、数据完整性、数据库整合），而本文的重点是纳米管理工作流程，即在数据存储库中识别、输入和审查纳米材料数据的过程。具体而言，本文讨论了：1）纳米管理中定义工作流程的基本原理和重要性，2）组织目标或目的对工作流程的影响，3）其他领域已确立的工作流程实践，4）纳米管理当前的工作流程实践，5）纳米材料等新兴领域工作流程面临的关键挑战，6）使这些挑战更具体的示例，以及7）应对已识别挑战的建议。在整篇文章中，重点在于阐述该领域的关键概念和当前实践。该领域当前实践的数据来自一群活跃于纳米管理的利益相关者。总体而言，纳米管理工作流程的发展尚处于初期，很少有人接受过数据管理方面的正规培训或利用可用的纳米管理资源（如ISA-TAB-Nano）。通过纳米管理流程培养纳米材料数据的潜在益处（例如，分析来自不同研究小组数据的能力）以及提供纳米管理资源（如培训）可能对于纳米管理工作流程在科学界更广泛的应用至关重要。
