Data life cycle and research data managemet plans are just two of many key-terms used in the present discussion about digital research data. But what do they mean - on the one hand for an individual scholar and on the other hand for a digital infrastructure like IANUS? The presentation will try to explain some of the terms and will show how IANUS is dealing with them in order to enhance the reusability of unique data. The presentation starts with an overview of the different disciplines, research methods and types of data, which together characterise modern research on ancient cultures. Nearly in all scientific processes digital data is produced and has gained a dominant role as the stakeholder-analysis and the evaluation of test data collections done by IANUS in 2013 clearly demonstrate. Nevertheless, inspite of their high relevance digital files and folders are in danger with regard to their accessability and reusability in the near and far future. Not only the storage devices, software applications and file formates become slowly but steadily obsolete, but also the relevant information (i.e. the metadata) to understand all the produced bits and bytes intellectually will get lost over the years. Therefore, urging questions concern the challenges how we can prevent – or at least reduce – a forseeable loss of digital information and what we will do with all the results, which do not find their way into publications? Being a disipline’s specific national center for research data of archaeology and ancient studies, IANUS tries to answer these questions and to establish different services in this context. The slides give an overview of the centre structure, its state of development and its planned targets. The primary service (scheduled for autumn 2016) will be the long-term preservation, curation and publication of digital research data to ensure its reusability and will be open for any person and institution. One already existing offer are the “IT-Empfehlungen für den nachhaltigen Umgang mit digitalen Daten in den Altertumswissenschaften“ which provide information and advice about data management, file formats and project documentation. Furthermore, it offers instructions on how to deposit data collections for archiving and disseminating. Here, external experts are cordially invited to contribute and write missing recommendations as new authors.

The aim of the study was to compile a conceptual model of a Virtual Research Environment (VRE) that indicates the relationship between Research Data Management (RDM) and VREs. The outcome of this study was that VREs are ideal platforms for the management of research data. In the first part of the study, a literature review was conducted by focusing on four themes: VREs and other concepts related to VREs; VRE components and tools; RDM; and the relationship between VREs and RDM. The first theme included a discussion of definitions of concepts, approaches to VREs, their development, aims, characteristics, similarities and differences of concepts, an overview of the e-Research approaches followed in this study, as well as an overview of concepts used in this study. The second theme consisted of an overview of developments of VREs in four countries (United Kingdom, USA, The Netherlands, and Germany), an indication of the differences and similarities of these programmes, and a discussion on the concept of research lifecycles, as well as VRE components. These components were then matched with possible tools, as well as to research lifecycle stages, which led to the development of a first conceptual VRE framework. The third theme included an overview of the definitions of the concepts ‘data’ and ‘research data’, as well as RDM and related concepts, an investigation of international developments with regards to RDM, an overview of the differences and similarities of approaches followed internationally, and a discussion of RDM developments in South Africa. This was followed by a discussion of the concept ‘research data lifecycles’, their various stages, corresponding processes and the roles various stakeholders can play in each stage. The fourth theme consisted of a discussion of the relationship between research lifecycles and research data lifecycles, a discussion on the role of RDM as a component within a VRE, the management of research data by means of a VRE, as well as the presentation of a possible conceptual model for the management of research data by means of a VRE. This literature review was conducted as a background and basis for this study. In the second part of the study, the research methodology was outlined. The chosen methodology entailed a non-empirical part consisting of a literature study, and an empirical part consisting of two case studies from a South African University. The two case studies were specifically chosen because each used different methods in conducting research. The one case study used natural science oriented data and laboratory/experimental methods, and the other, human orientated data and survey instruments. The proposed conceptual model derived from the literature study was assessed through these case studies and feedback received was used to modify and/or enhance the conceptual model. The contribution of this study lies primarily in the presentation of a conceptual VRE model with distinct component layers and generic components, which can be used as technological and collaborative frameworks for the successful management of research data. / Thesis (DPhil)--University of Pretoria, 2018. / National Research Foundation / Information Science / DPhil / Unrestricted

Data life cycle and research data managemet plans are just two of many key-terms used in the present discussion about digital research data. But what do they mean - on the one hand for an individual scholar and on the other hand for a digital infrastructure like IANUS? The presentation will try to explain some of the terms and will show how IANUS is dealing with them in order to enhance the reusability of unique data. The presentation starts with an overview of the different disciplines, research methods and types of data, which together characterise modern research on ancient cultures. Nearly in all scientific processes digital data is produced and has gained a dominant role as the stakeholder-analysis and the evaluation of test data collections done by IANUS in 2013 clearly demonstrate. Nevertheless, inspite of their high relevance digital files and folders are in danger with regard to their accessability and reusability in the near and far future. Not only the storage devices, software applications and file formates become slowly but steadily obsolete, but also the relevant information (i.e. the metadata) to understand all the produced bits and bytes intellectually will get lost over the years. Therefore, urging questions concern the challenges how we can prevent – or at least reduce – a forseeable loss of digital information and what we will do with all the results, which do not find their way into publications? Being a disipline’s specific national center for research data of archaeology and ancient studies, IANUS tries to answer these questions and to establish different services in this context. The slides give an overview of the centre structure, its state of development and its planned targets. The primary service (scheduled for autumn 2016) will be the long-term preservation, curation and publication of digital research data to ensure its reusability and will be open for any person and institution. One already existing offer are the “IT-Empfehlungen für den nachhaltigen Umgang mit digitalen Daten in den Altertumswissenschaften“ which provide information and advice about data management, file formats and project documentation. Furthermore, it offers instructions on how to deposit data collections for archiving and disseminating. Here, external experts are cordially invited to contribute and write missing recommendations as new authors.

The radio astronomy and space geodesy scientific instrumentation of the Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory (HartRAO) in Gauteng, South Africa, generate large volumes of data. Additional large data volumes will be generated by new geodesy instruments that are currently under construction and implementation, including a lunar laser ranging (LLR) system, seismic and meteorological systems and a Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) global observing system (VGOS) radio telescope. The existing HartRAO data management and storage system is outdated, incompatible and has limited storage capacity. This necessitates the design of a new geodetic research data management system (GRDMS). The focus of this dissertation is on providing a contextual framework for the design of the new system, including criteria, characteristics, components, an infrastructure architectural model and data structuring and organisation. An exploratory research methodology and qualitative research techniques were applied. Results attained from interviews conducted and literature consulted indicates a gap in the literature regarding the design of a data management system, specifically for geodetic data generated by HartRAO instrumentation. This necessitates the development of a conceptual framework for the design of a new GRDMS. Results are in alignment with the achievement of the research questions and objectives set for this study. / Information Science / M.A. (Information Science)