Task Area 3 - NFDI4Culture

Tools & Services

Research tools and data services

Within the context of research on material and immaterial cultural assets, research tools and data services are used to generate, analyse, administer, distribute, publish, and make data available in the long term. Therefore, they are crucial instruments for managing research data sustainably. At the same time, software (i.e. code, documentation) is itself research data and thus the subject of a research data management (RDM) strategy.

Researchers, software users, developers and providers can benefit from the services of NFDI4Culture by finding suitable and accessible software for their research. Scholars formulate their needs while participating in the conception and (further) development of appropriate tools and services. Through NFDI4Culture, researchers and institutions dealing with software get support in the development, consolidation and certification of sustainable, interoperable solutions. This allows for a simplified use of relevant research tools and data services in various environments (e.g. cloud, server, individual).

To establish sustainable software development and operation practices, NFDI4Culture supports scholars and institutions on a variety of levels. For instance, as part of the NFDI4Culture Helpdesk, the Software Consulting Agency provides assistance regarding subject-specific requirements within the NFDI4Culture community in conjunction with the development, consolidation, operation, and certification of sustainable, interoperable research tools and data services on the basis of the FAIR principles. Accordingly, a strategy for the long-term availability of research software and services is being developed and applied.

Helpdesk

The Software Consulting Agency itself benefits from the knowledge and advice of the expert forum "Sustainable Software Development in NFDI4Culture". The forum is a group of software developers, academic experts and representatives from research organisations and infrastructure institutions, who meet twice a year to discuss sustainable software development in the context of NFDI4Culture and to find strategies for promoting and establishing the topic across the cultural heritage field. The forum is organised by staff of NFDI4Culture, its members however are external experts from the wider community. The founding members of the expert forum are:

Felix Bach (KIT-SCC, Karlsruhe)
Alexander Czmiel (BBAW, Berlin)
Ulrike Henny-Krahmer (Universität Rostock)
Anne Klammt (DFK, Paris)
Claes Neuefeind (CCeH/IDH, Universität zu Köln)
Anne Neovesky (ADW Mainz)
Daniel Nüst (TU Dresden, de-RSE)
Gudrun Oevel (IMT, Universität Paderborn)
Laurent Pugin (RISM CH, Bern)
Matthias Razum (FIZ Karlsruhe)
Torsten Roeder (Leopoldina Akademie, Halle)
Georg Schelbert (Institut für Kunst- und Bildgeschichte, HU Berlin)
Martina Scholger (ZiM/ACDH, Universität Graz)

The development of a registry of existing tools and data services for the research on material and immaterial cultural assets serves two main purposes. Firstly, it provides an easily accesible overview of relevant offers. And secondly, it enables researchers to access these solutions. This approach should, for instance, prevent parallel software developments and duplications. All included metadata will be issued under a CC0 licence while all tools and services will receive a unique identifier to enable referencing. Finally, a step-by-step certification process will be implemented for the registry offerings.

Another important goal is the further (and potentially new) development of specific, needs-based research tools and data services, which are to be provided due to their high relevance for an extended circle of users and beyond their original (and time-limited) project context. Within the framework of the expert forum "Sustainable Software Development in NFDI4Culture", the needs of the communities are identified and suggestions for funding of particular measures are developed, evaluated and proposed.