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Quality eLTER PLUS is an EU-funded HORIZON 2020 RIA project (GA: 871128) with three main pillars: networking, joint research activities and transnational, remote and virtual access. In close collaboration with the eLTER Preparation Phase Project (eLTER PPP), PLUS contributes to implementing the eLTER Research Infrastructure (eLTER RI). As part of PLUS, sites across the eLTER community and beyond are invited to submit data to populate the eLTER Digital Asset Registry (eLTER DAR).

This Data Call is a pilot for the future data submission in the eLTER RI, and all gained experience and received feedback will be used for improving the operations of eLTER and the participating Sites and Platforms. This eLTER Data Call aims to support the eLTER community to mobilize contributor’s data towards the eLTER cyberinfrastructure. Participants have the unique opportunity to influence the way workflows will be established towards future data provision. Data contribution on the other hand will help to identify the needs among the eLTER community to provide open and FAIR data. During the project period data contributors will receive extensive support from the central eLTER Virtual Access (VA) Coordination team. The services at hand are, e.g., standardized semantics based on expert input through the standard observation protocol leads, data templates for a breadth of data types, inside knowledge of data structuring based on European requirements on open data, etc.

Sites accepted to participate in the call will be eligible for funding and will be offered co-authorship in the potential publications. They will receive online instructions and continuous support, including bi-lateral assistance provided as part of the VA helpdesk that is established for this purpose. The call provides a unique opportunity to develop local capacities to contribute to eLTER DAR, as well as gain valuable insight into the eLTER data services and how these can benefit sites around Europe.

As part of this call, quality assured time series of monitoring observational data from eLTER sites Sites throughout the continent will be registered and uploaded into the central catalogue eLTER DAR (CCDAR) and, thereby, made available for Virtual Access (VA) through eLTER. Emphasis will be is put on legacy data related to priority Standard Observation variables (Task 3.1). Site operators are partly beneficiaries, partly not. The former will be eligible for funding of the working time associated with e.g. formatting data and providing required metadata. In each country represented in eLTER, one beneficiary acts as National Coordinator (NC) who will oversee the collection of data from various sites in their country. Considering experiences and key findings of the H2020 eLTER Starting Communities concerning bottlenecks in VA and related data workflows caused by lacking training, the WP7 team will, in collaboration with WP5, conduct a series of regional trainings and provide online instructions via webcasts for site operators to explain not only the process of contributing to the eLTER CC, but also possible utilization of the eLTER services and their resulting benefits from the collaboration to achieve consortium wide contribution.

• SOGEO_001 Soil inventory – geological characterization (Access to data template)

• SOBIO_017 Vegetation composition (Access to data template)

• SOBIO_096 Surface water – Algae (Access to data template)

• SOATM_027 Meteorology (Access to data template)

• SOHYD_168 Soil water content and temperature (Access to data template)

• SOHYD_004 Physical/chemical characteristics standing waters (Access to data template) 

Any further questions - check FAQ on the Market Place website: https://elter-ri.eu/elter-market-place listed below), but the aim is to also include various ecosystem data types. This will help to target the contributors´ needs to understand and identify the requirements for the eLTER Cyberinfrastructure to be able to cater to all stations, platforms and national networks to provide data in the long run The eLTER Data Call is open for Sites belonging to eLTER PLUS project partners and other LTER Europe Sites provided that they are registered in DEIMS-SDR or register during the initial phase of the project (latest until January 2025). Selection of participating Sites will be done based on evaluation criteria (see below) after the application period.

eLTER VA Coordination team:

Leader: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU)

Partners: University of Helsinki (UH), Masaryk University (MUNI), Environment Agency Austria (EEA), Consiglio Nazionale Delle Ricerche (CNR)

Available total budget: approx. 400 000 EUR

Contact: Holger Villwock (holger.villwock@slu.se) & Allan T. Souza (allan.souza@helsinki.fi) (always send requests to both contacts)

WHY APPLY

Participating sites will:

·       Receive funding (ca 2-4 Person Months, depending on the overall costs) to support them in collecting, curating and opening the data sets

·       Receive co-authorship of a scientific article

·       Be provided with central data services, e.g., standardized semantics based on expert input through the standard observation protocol leads, data templates for a breadth of data types, inside knowledge on data structuring based on European requirements on open data, etc.

·       Receive continuous support, online resources, guidelines and consultations to complete their projects

·       Be recognized as an active eLTER Site with proven ability for data provisioning and future opportunities to participate in, e.g., EU projects where opening the data is expected

·       Have an exclusive opportunity to influence the development of the eLTER DAR

·       Build local capacities in creatingthe workflow for data submission and pilot this for the future eLTER activities

DATA TYPES IN FOCUS

• SOGEO_001 Soil inventory – geological characterization;

VARIABLES: soil texture category (-), soil texture proportion (%), soil hydraulic conductivity (cm day-1), dry bulk density depth (cm), dry bulk density (g cm-3), soil organic carbon content (g C kg-1), soil type classification (-), geological site characterization (-), cation exchange capacity (meq -100g), soil pH (-), soil base saturation (%)

• SOATM_027 Meteorology; 

VARIABLES: air temperature (°C), air relative humidity (%), precipitation (mm), wind speed (m s^-1), wind direction (°), surface air pressure (hPa)

•  SOBIO_017 Vegetation composition; 

VARIABLES: scientific name of taxon (-), cover (%)

•  SOBIO_096 Surface water – Algae; 

VARIABLES: chlorophyll a (mg m⁻³), phycocyanin (mg m⁻³), phycoerythrin (mg m⁻³; (used for: saltwater - standing, running waters))

•  SOHYD_004 Physical/chemical characteristics standing waters; 

VARIABLES: water depth (m), water temperature (°C), water pH (-), electrical conductivity (µS cm^-1), water turbidity (FNU), oxygen concentration (mg L^-1), water level (m)

•  SOHYD_168 Soil water content and temperature; 

VARIABLES: soil water content (vol%), soil water temperature (°C)

•  Other data: indicate any other data sets you would like to mobilize in the expression of interest form 

Data uploaded to the eLTER Central Catalogue will follow the eLTER Data Template for field specifications.

It is expected that all data provided is equipped with extensive metadata following the eLTER Data Template.

During the project period participants will receive central support to structure their data in accordance with the eLTER Data Template and field specifications.

For detailed questions related to this data call - refer to the Call FAQ (link to google docs). https://docs.google.com/document/d/1h63anAHVas0Lx7MudiargiW4_v84b1-FDGePg22BYbc/edit?usp=sharing).

If you can´t find answers to your questions, contact: office@elter-ri.eu

General questions - also check FAQ on the Market Place website (scroll to the bottom of the page): https://elter-ri.eu/elter-market-place

SUBMIT YOUR DATA = within the data call you are only submitting your interest to contribute with data during the project period, no data uploads are required yet. Please refer to the GUIDELINES (link to PDF) before using the EXPRESSION OF INTEREST (link to elomake) formFORM.

Deadline for the expression of interest form:18 Nov 2024

Evaluation feedback: 29 Nov 2024

Project period: 06 Dec 2024 - 31 Oct 2025

• Guidelines for this data call

  • View file
    name eLTER_Data-Call_Guidelines_20241104.pdf

• Expression of Interest Form

• eLTER field specifications document

  • View file
    name eLTER_TechDoc.01_TemplateSpecification_V1.3 (3).pdf.pdf

• FAQ for this call (living document)