Dear EarthRef community,

IEDA Invites Applications for Data Rescue Mini-Awards

IEDA (Integrated Earth Data Applications), the NSF data facility that operates EarthChem and the Marine Geoscience Data System, is looking to grant four Data Rescue Mini-awards as part of a Data Rescue Initiative. This initiative is intended to ensure that valuable legacy data sets that are in danger of being lost in the near future due to impending retirement or degradation of the original data source are preserved and made accessible to the community for re-use by inclusion in the IEDA data collections (EarthChem, Marine Geoscience Data System, SESAR). Priority will be given to datasets that are deemed to have the highest impact on future research by virtue of one or another unique characteristics such as quality, size, rarity, unique location or data type, The mini-grants will provide funds to investigators at the level of $7,000 (maximum) for each project to support proper compilation, documentation, and transfer of data sets to IEDA. We specifically encourage applications from late-career and near-retirement investigators, who are in possession of unpublished data that they cannot otherwise share and preserve.

Data sets must be consistent with the IEDA mission "to support access and preservation of solid earth data from the earth, ocean, and polar sciences". Preferred data sets are geochemical analyses of igneous rocks and marine sediments, and marine geology and geophysics data. Depending on interest and success of this pilot project, IEDA hopes to continue funding mini-awards like this in future years.

Applications (maximum 3 pages) should be submitted by April 5, 2013, to IEDA Director Kerstin Lehnert (lehnert@ldeo.columbia.edu), and should include:

• a brief description of the data sets that will be assembled, such as type of data, volume, format (.xls, .txt, grids, etc.), and current status (e.g. on tape, on paper, on-line, etc.).
• a statement that explains the relevance of the data set(s) for future re-use.
• a project plan about how the successful completion of the project will be achieved and to what extent IEDA staff is needed to assist. For sample-based data such as geochemical analyses, the sample archiving situation should be discussed.
• a budget outline.

The IEDA User Committee will review all applications and select awardees based on the scientific relevance of the data sets and prospect of the project's successful completion. Funded projects will need to complete the data compilation and documentation by September 30, 2013. IEDA staff will work with each awarded investigator or group of investigators to help identify needed documentation, and will provide guidance and tools to facilitate data documentation and transfer.