- GEOMAR Helmholtz-Zentrum für Ozeanforschung Kiel
In an ongoing effort within the Helmholtz association to make research data FAIR, i.e. findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable we also need to make biological samples visible and searchable. To achieve this a first crucial step is to inventory already available samples, connect them to relevant metadata and assess the requirements for various sample types (e.g. experimental, time series, cruise samples). This high diversity is challenging for when creating standardized workflows to provide a uniform metadata collection with complete and meaningful metadata for each sample. As part of the Helmholtz DataHub at GEOMAR the B iosample I nformation S ystem (BIS) has been set up, turning the former decentral sample management into a fully digital and centrally managed long-term sample storage.
The BIS is based on the open-source research data management system CaosDB, which offers a framework for managing diverse and heterogeneous data. It supports fine-grained access permissions and regular backups, has a powerfull search engine, different APIs and an extendable WebUI. We have designed a flexible datamodel and multiple WebUI modules to support scientists, technicans and datamanagers in digitalizing and centralising sample metadata and making the metadata visible in data portals (e.g. https://marine-data.de).
The system allows us to manage a broad variety of sample types ranging from DNA extracts, formaldehyde fixed plankton samples to dried or frozen tissues, and originating from an even larger variety of projects such as cruises, field samplings, experiments and even combinations of the above. We have tested the system and successfully incorporated several “lighthouse” projects representing the diversity of sample types and projects. We will present the current state of the BIS with special emphasis on biosample specific issues addressed during the development, first curated projects and an outlook on upcoming developments.