Computational implementation and formalism of FAIR data stewardship principles

Abstract

Purpose

The progress of life science and social science research is contingent on effective modes of data storage, data sharing and data reproducibility. In the present digital era, data storage and data sharing play a vital role. For productive data-centric tasks, findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable (FAIR) principles have been developed as a standard convention. However, FAIR principles have specific challenges from computational implementation perspectives. The purpose of this paper is to identify the challenges related to computational implementations of FAIR principles. After identification of challenges, this paper aims to solve the identified challenges.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper deploys Petri net-based formal model and Petri net algebra to implement and analyze FAIR principles. The proposed Petri net-based model, theorems and corollaries may assist computer system architects in implementing and analyzing FAIR principles.

Findings

To demonstrate the use of derived petri net-based theorems and corollaries, existing data stewardship platforms – FAIRDOM and Dataverse – have been analyzed in this paper. Moreover, a data stewardship model – “Datalection” has been developed and conversed about in the present paper. Datalection has been designed based on the petri net-based theorems and corollaries.

Originality/value

This paper aims to bridge information science and life science using the formalism of data stewardship principles. This paper not only provides new dimensions to data stewardship but also systematically analyzes two existing data stewardship platforms FAIRDOM and Dataverse.

Citation

Anjaria, K.A. (2020), "Computational implementation and formalism of FAIR data stewardship principles", Data Technologies and Applications, Vol. 54 No. 2, pp. 193-214. https://doi.org/10.1108/DTA-09-2019-0164