Preservation of Geoscience Data and Collections

National Academy Of Sciences, Washington DC

Investigators

Abstract

Dickinson.0071061 Preservation of Geoscience Data and Collections With budget cuts and the downsizing of the U.S. oil industry and some federal agencies, combined with the lack of space in private and public museums, the preservation of geoscience data (e.g., cores, cuttings, maps, paper reports, digital data) is becoming a critical issue for federal agencies, academic researchers, museums, institutes and industry. This study, by the Board on Earth Sciences and Resources at the National Research Council, will (1) develop a strategy for determining what geoscience, paleontological, petrophysical and engineering data to preserve; (2) examine options for long-term archival of these data; (3) examine 3-5 accession and repository case studies as examples of successes and failures; and (4) distinguish the roles of the public and private sectors in data preservation. The overall goal of the study is to develop a comprehensive strategy for managing geoscience data in the United States.