Jacob Daniel, Ehrenmann François, David Romain, Tran Joseph, Mirande-Ney Cathleen, Chaumeil Philippe
INRAE, Université de Bordeaux, F-33140 Villenave d'Ornon, France.
INRAE, UR1268 BIA, Centre INRAE Pays de Loire-Nantes, F-44000 Nantes, France.
Gigascience. 2025 Jan 6;14. doi: 10.1093/gigascience/giae111.
Descriptive metadata are vital for reporting, discovering, leveraging, and mobilizing research datasets. However, resolving metadata issues as part of a data management plan can be complex for data producers. To organize and document data, various descriptive metadata must be created. Furthermore, when sharing data, it is important to ensure metadata interoperability in line with FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) principles. Given the practical nature of these challenges, there is a need for management tools that can assist data managers effectively. Additionally, these tools should meet the needs of data producers and be user-friendly, requiring minimal training.
We developed Maggot (Metadata Aggregation on Data Storage), a web-based tool to locally manage a data catalog using high-level metadata. The main goal was to facilitate easy data dissemination and deposition in data repositories. With Maggot, users can easily generate and attach high-level metadata to datasets, allowing for seamless sharing in a collaborative environment. This approach aligns with many data management plans as it effectively addresses challenges related to data organization, documentation, storage, and the sharing of metadata based on FAIR principles within and beyond the collaborative group. Furthermore, Maggot enables metadata crosswalks (i.e., generated metadata can be converted to the schema used by a specific data repository or be exported using a format suitable for data collection by third-party applications).
The primary purpose of Maggot is to streamline the collection of high-level metadata using carefully chosen schemas and standards. Additionally, it simplifies data accessibility via metadata, typically a requirement for publicly funded projects. As a result, Maggot can be utilized to promote effective local management with the goal of facilitating data sharing while adhering to the FAIR principles. Furthermore, it can contribute to the preparation of the future EOSC FAIR Web of Data within the European Open Science Cloud framework.
描述性元数据对于研究数据集的报告、发现、利用和调动至关重要。然而，对于数据生产者而言，将解决元数据问题作为数据管理计划的一部分可能很复杂。为了组织和记录数据，必须创建各种描述性元数据。此外，在共享数据时，确保元数据符合FAIR（可查找、可访问、可互操作、可重用）原则的互操作性很重要。鉴于这些挑战的实际性质，需要能够有效协助数据管理者的管理工具。此外，这些工具应满足数据生产者的需求且用户友好，所需培训最少。
我们开发了Maggot（数据存储上的元数据聚合），这是一个基于网络的工具，用于使用高级元数据在本地管理数据目录。主要目标是便于在数据存储库中轻松进行数据传播和存档。使用Maggot，用户可以轻松生成高级元数据并将其附加到数据集，从而在协作环境中实现无缝共享。这种方法符合许多数据管理计划，因为它有效解决了与数据组织、记录、存储以及基于FAIR原则在协作组内外共享元数据相关的挑战。此外，Maggot支持元数据交叉映射（即生成的元数据可以转换为特定数据存储库使用的模式，或者使用适合第三方应用程序进行数据收集的格式导出）。
Maggot的主要目的是使用精心选择的模式和标准简化高级元数据的收集。此外，它通过元数据简化了数据可访问性，这通常是公共资助项目的要求。因此，Maggot可用于促进有效的本地管理，以实现数据共享为目标，同时遵守FAIR原则。此外，它可以为在欧洲开放科学云框架内构建未来的EOSC FAIR数据网络做出贡献。
