Collaborative Research: GEO OSE Track 2: Developing CI-enabled collaborative workflows to integrate data for the SZ4D (Subduction Zones in Four Dimensions) community

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Geological research is increasingly conducted by groups of researchers who work together to collect and analyze data. Data collection occurs both in the field and in laboratories. This project will modify an existing digital data system called StraboSpot to allow researchers to work collaboratively. These digital tools will be developed by working with an ongoing initiative studying all aspects of subduction zones, called SZ4D (Subduction Zones in Four Dimensions). The scientists working on SZ4D are already working together in groups, both in the field and with microscopes in the lab, to unravel both the basic science and issues of societal relevance associated with subduction zones (examples include megathrust earthquakes, strike-slip faults, and volcanoes). Through a series of community-based workshops, this project will build a useable collaborative environment for collecting and interpreting geological data. This collaborative environment will then be distributed to the entire geological community through the StraboSpot data system. This project will develop the cyberinfrastructure (CI) capability for researchers to work collaboratively while collecting and analyzing primary field and laboratory data. This process –group-level workflows – allows geological research as a community-based endeavor, with scientists collaborating within and across disciplines. New CI will be developed by modifying StraboSpot, an existing digital data system for geologic data that facilitates data input and storage. CI-enabled group-level workflows will transform the type and quality of geological science, leveraging the previous work on the StraboSpot system. The existing SZ4D (Subduction Zones in Four Dimensions) community, whose ambitious science agenda has a demonstrated need for integrative and collaborative workflows, will guide the CI development to meet their community workflow needs. The SZ4D group will facilitate the community interactions to create a community-driven workflow that is consistent with current needs and data discovery to communicate data within and across disciplines. Versioning, required to accommodate group-level workflows, will record the evolution of ideas and foster transparency in our science, critical to scientific outcomes. Three early career scientists and one post-doctoral fellow will be supported and receive training in cross-disciplinary collaboration.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.