Research data management comprises all activities related to the processing, storage, archiving and publication of research data. The importance of research data management has grown immensely in recent years due to the large amount of data generated in the course of digitisation and automation. Their administration and processing can hardly be managed with the existing tools. This applies in the same way to data generated in the field of water research.

Research sponsors more and more demand expanded access to research data and the creation of data management plans.

At Kompetenzzentrum Wasser Berlin gGmbH (KWB) a large number of data are processed within the scope of research projects which are either collected by KWB itself or made available by project partners. These include metrics, metadata, photos / videos, inventory and state data, and processed data (e.g., time series, aggregated values, computer simulations results). In order to make such data available, usable and processable, standardised processes, tools and methods are to be developed that ensure the reproducibility of the results across the entire project.

The FAKIN project aims to develop a suitable research data management scheme for KWB in close cooperation with its project scientists and to establish it throughout the company. Thus, the project serves as a transferable case study for research data management to be applied at small but linked-up non-university research institutions.

© header photo: Jürgen Stamp, digitalbevaring.dk