Laura Molloy and Peter McQuilton
blog

During a hackathon which took place between 11 and 15 December 2020, representatives from FAIRsFAIR, FAIRsharing, ELIXIR, EOSC-Pillar, the Digital Curation Centre, DANS, CINES and CODATA annotated training materials with FAIR data terms from the current version of the Terms4FAIRskills terminology.

Formal Terminology of FAIR Data Terms

The Terms4FAIRskills project aims to create a formalised terminology that describes the competencies, skills and knowledge associated with making and keeping data FAIR. When mature, this terminology will apply to a variety of use cases, including:

  • Creating and assessing stewardship curricula

  • Identifying, annotating and evaluating FAIR-enabling materials (e.g. training) and resources

  • Formalising job descriptions and CVs with recognised, structured competencies

The completed terminology will be of use to FAIR data skills trainers, researchers identifying skill gaps in their teams, and managers seeking to fill FAIR-related roles.

Terms4FAIRskills receives EOSC co-creation grant

Terms4FAIRskills started as a volunteer, bottom-up effort and has recently received an EOSC co-creation grant. The grant will enable collaborative development of the terminology via a core team of ontology experts alongside a coordinating group. The grant also funds a series of hackathons to bring together representatives from the prospective user community.

This first virtual hackathon enabled the team to iteratively refine the terminology through the practical annotation of training materials from ELIXIR TeSS and the RDA/CODATA Summer Schools. They will continue to review the terminology, add synonyms, refine the hierarchy, and adapt the current model. 

Black text on white background showing a view of a skills taxonomy including master list, annotations, and relationships.

The model will be tested again during a follow-on hackathon in 2021, once again through practical annotation of real world training material.

For further information about the terminology, please visit the Terms4FAIRskills website or follow the #Terms4FAIRskills hashtag on Twitter.

Core team

  • Peter McQuilton, FAIRsharing and University of Oxford, UK
  • Yann Le Franc, e-Science Data Factory
  • Laura Molloy, CODATA
  • Allyson Lister, FAIRsharing and University of Oxford, UK

First virtual hackathon attendees

  • Hugh Shanahan, RDA/CODATA Summer Schools
  • Celia van Gelder, ELIXIR / DTL
  • Victoria Dominguez del Angel, ELIXIR / INRA
  • Angus Whyte, FAIRsFAIR / DCC
  • Marjan Grootveld, FAIRsFAIR / DANS
  • Marie-Anne Maurel, FAIRsFAIR / CINES
  • Samuel Viscapi, FAIRsFAIR / CINES

Coordination group

  • Celia van Gelder (DTL/ELIXIR-NL, NL)
  • Simon Hodson (CODATA, FR)
  • Yann Le Franc (e-Science Data Factory, FR)
  • Peter McQuilton (FAIRsharing and University of Oxford, UK)
  • Susanna-Assunta Sansone (FAIRsharing and University of Oxford, UK)
  • Hugh Shanahan (Royal Holloway, UK)
  • Angus Whyte (DCC, UK)
  • Laura Molloy (CODATA, FR)