Guide
Here you will find proposed guidelines for standardizing sample metadata to describe interdisciplinary samples within DOE's Environmental Systems Science community.
Most of the sample metadata follows SESAR's metadata guidelines. However, we modified some metadata elements, specific requirements, and vocabularies based on ESS community needs. This includes additional fields, which mostly come from biodiversity standards Darwin Core, or genomic standards Minimum Information about any Sequence (MIxS).
We seek any additional feedback, with the goal of making ESS sample information Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR).
Sample Metadata Content - Link to More Details
*Required fields are marked with an asterisk, and indicated in detailed tables below.
Header Rows: Object Type* | User Code*
Sample IDs and Related Identifiers: Sample Name* | Other names | IGSN | Parent IGSN | Collection ID | Event ID | Location ID
Sample Description: Material* | Field name informal classification | Sample Description | Purpose | Size | Size unit | Filter Size | Filter Size Unit | Scientific Name | Sample Remarks
Sample Collection Details: Collector Chief Scientist* | Collection Date* | Collection Time | Collection Method Description* | Sample Processing | Field Program or Project Name*
Location: Latitude Coordinate system WGS 84* | Longitude Coordinate system WGS 84* | Navigation Type | Location Description | Country | Elevation start | Elevation end | Elevation unit | Minimum Depth in Meters | Maximum Depth in Meters | Depth scale | Minimum Distance above Surface in Meters | Maximum Distance above Surface in Meters |
Environmental Context: Physiographic feature* | Biome
Sample Access: Release Date* | Current Archive | Current Archive Contact
Header Rows
Object Type
User Code
Sample IDs and Related Identifiers
Sample Name
Other names
IGSN
Parent IGSN
Collection ID
Not a SESAR Field
Event ID
Not a SESAR Field
Location ID
Not a SESAR Field
Sample Description
Material
Field name informal classification
Sample Description
Purpose
Size
Size unit
Filter Size
Not a SESAR Field
Filter Size Unit
Not a SESAR Field
Scientific Name
Not a SESAR Field
Sample Remarks
Not a SESAR Field
Sample Collection Details
Collector Chief Scientist
Collection Date
Collection Time
Collection Method Description
Sample Processing
Not a SESAR Field
Field Program or Project Name
SESAR name is "Field Program/Cruise"
Location
Latitude Coordinate system WGS 84
Longitude Coordinate system WGS 84
Navigation Type
Location Description
Country
Elevation start
Elevation end
Proposed ESS-DIVE Element|maximumElevationInMeters Optional| |:------------------------|:----------------------------------------------------| |Definition |Maximum elevation at which a sample was collected, if elevation was taken over a
range. | |Format |Number | |Additional Instructions|Leave blank if elevation is a single value and not range. Provide elevation in
meters where possible.| |Examples |689.2 |
Elevation unit
Proposed ESS-DIVE Element|elevationUnit (recommend meters) if relevant, Required| |:------------------------|:----------------------------------------------------| |Definition |Unit that elevation start and/or end are provided in.
|Format |Recommend meters. | |Additional Instructions|This will be removed when elevation field is changed to specify meters. | |Examples |meters|
Minimum Depth in Meters
Note that SESAR field is "Depth in Core (min)" Proposed ESS-DIVE Element|minimumDepthInMeters if relevant, Required| |:------------------------|:----------------------------------------------------| |Definition |Depth, or minimum depth (if taken over a range) at which a sample was collected,
below ground or under water. | |Format |Number | |Additional Instructions|Recommend using meters. | |Examples |0.001 |
Maximum Depth in Meters
Note that SESAR field is "Depth in Core (max)" Proposed ESS-DIVE Element|maximumDepthInMeters if relevant, Required| |:------------------------|:----------------------------------------------------| |Format |Number | |Definition |Maximum depth at which a sample was collected, below ground or under water. | |Additional Instructions|Recommend using meters. | |Examples |0.003|
Depth scale
Proposed ESS-DIVE Element|depthUnit (recommend meters) if relevant, Required| |:------------------------|:----------------------------------------------------| |Format |Recommend meters. | |Definition |Unit in which the depth is provided, should be meters.| |Additional Instructions|This field will be deleted when we change the depth field to be required in meters.| |Examples |meters|
Minimum Distance above Surface in Meters
Not a SESAR Field Proposed ESS-DIVE Element|minimumDistanceAboveSurfaceInMeters Optional| |:------------------------|:----------------------------------------------------| |Definition |Minimum height above the ground surface, in meters. If no range of values collected,
provide height measurement here.| |Format |Number | |Additional Instructions| | |Examples |4.2 |
Maximum Distance above Surface in Meters
Not a SESAR Field Proposed ESS-DIVE Element|maximumDistanceAboveSurfaceInMeters Optional| |:------------------------|:----------------------------------------------------| |Definition |Maximum height above the ground surface, in meters.| |Format |Number | |Additional Instructions| | |Examples |7.2 |
Environmental Context
Physiographic feature
Proposed ESS-DIVE Element|localEnvironmentalContext Recommended| |:------------------------|:----------------------------------------------------| |Definition |Entity or entities which are in your sample or specimen’s local vicinity and
which you believe have significant causal influences on your sample or
specimen. | |Format |Terms from Environment Ontology (ENVO). Provide the appropriate term and
ENVO identifier - see examples below.| |Additional Instructions|Choose environmental context that is a smaller spatial grain than your entry
for biome. Delimit multiple values using semi-colon. If needed, request new
terms on the ENVO tracker, identified here.| |Examples |river [ENVO:00000022]; pond [ENVO:00000033]; wet meadow ecosystem
[ENVO:01000449]; mountain [ENVO:00000081]
For annotating a pooled sample taken from various
vegetation layers in a forest, consider: canopy [ENVO:00000047]; herb and
fern layer [ENVO:01000337]; litter layer [ENVO:01000338];
understory [01000335]; shrub layer [ENVO:01000336].|
Biome
Not a SESAR Field Proposed ESS-DIVE Element|biome Recommended| |:------------------------|:----------------------------------------------------| |Definition |Major environmental system your sample or specimen came from. The systems
identified should have a coarse spatial grain, to provide the general environmental
context of where the sampling was done (e.g. were you in the desert or a
rainforest?).| |Format |Terms from Environment Ontology (ENVO). Provide the appropriate term and ENVO
identifier - see examples below.| |Additional Instructions|We recommend using subclasses of ENVO’s biome class. Use a semi-colon to delimit multiple biomes where needed. If needed, request new
terms on the ENVO tracker, identified here.| |Examples |shrubland biome [ENVO:01000176]; tropical moist broadleaf forest biome
[ENVO:01000228]; estuarine biome [ENVO:01000020]|
Sample Access
Release Date
Proposed ESS-DIVE Element|releaseDate Required| |:------------------------|:----------------------------------------------------| |Definition |Date when sample metadata should be publicly accessible and searchable. If null
, defaults to date of registration in SESAR (recommended). | |Format |YYYY-MM-DD | |Additional Instructions|SESAR recommends that sample metadata become public within 2 years of sample
registration.| |Examples |2018-03-15 |
Current Archive
Proposed ESS-DIVE Element|currentArchive Optional| |:------------------------|:----------------------------------------------------| |Definition |Name of institution, museum, or repository where the sample is currently stored.| |Format | | |Additional Instructions|Only applies to physical samples that are archived in a collection for some period
of time.| |Examples |Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, USGS Federal Center, Lakewood,
CO|
Current Archive Contact
Proposed ESS-DIVE Element|currentArchiveContact Optional| |:------------------------|:----------------------------------------------------| |Definition |Address and/or email of the person who should be contacted for information about
or access to the sample.| |Format |free text | |Additional Instructions|Email is not mandatory, but helps with communication about samples.| |Examples |scientist@lbl.gov |
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