FAIR Data

An important requirement for an open research data project, as defined by Horizon 2020, is the FAIR concept, i.e. that data be findable, accessible, interoperable and re-usable. The core of the solution is ChemConnect, a cloud-based service representing interconnected data. Within the FAIR concept, ChemConnect provides search and interfacing:

• Findable: The cloud-based service ChemConnect provides an advanced data organising concept that links data through semantic relationships (the Resource Description Framework of the Semantic Web and Ontologies) promotes the searching of data by attaching semantic metadata to points in the data set and through this semantic providing many paths to a particular piece of data through multiple contexts. Data can be found through similarity to other data and concepts describing data or through traceability by being the source of or being used by other data.

• Accessibility: Once the data has been found, whether as a point within a data set, the data set itself or the set of data sets where they reside, it can be retrieved. ChemConnect can provide internal links and for access and visualisation of data and also interfacing and links to other sustainable sources.

• Interoperable: An important tool within the ChemConnect cloud service is to provide interfacing to other tools. At the simplest level, this will be done by providing files in the appropriate format. Developments will be made to provide direct access through API’s (if that is a priority of the consortium).

• Re-usable: This is satisfied by placing data in a sustainable repository with extensive meta-data for search and data representation, including domain standards (for example, those being outlined by the SMARTCATS data task for initiative).