Data Standardisation and Modelling Workgroup (ADSM)
This page documents activities of the Data Standardisation and Modelling Workgroup (Arbeitsgruppe Datenstandardisierung und -modellierung, ADSM) within the Society for Anthropology (Gesellschaft für Anthropologie, GfA) from its formation in 2019 to 2023. The two-year term between GfA meetings and elections of speakers was prolonged by the COVID pandemic during which no physical meetings could be held.
During the 121h international meeting of the GfA 2017 in Geislingen and der Steige (Germany), Felix Engel raised the idea of forming a workgroup dedicated to data standardisation and modelling in biological anthropology. Michaela Harbeck, Alexander Lutz and Stefan Schlager supported the idea and it was decided to submit a joint proposal to the GfA members assembly at the 13th meeting in 2019.
Early in 2019, the four initiators developed a report of previous activities and a work programme. Both documents were required in §8.1 of the GfA statute as prerequisites for the formation of a work group. Final versions of these documents were issued on 18 July 2019.
§8.1 of the GfA statute demanded that the activity report and the work programme was signed by at least ten society members before it could be presented to the members assembly to pass a vote on the application. Selected members with a previous involvement or interest in data standardisation were contacted and asked for their support. In addition, the documents were sent to the spokespersons of the existing workgroups and published on the GfA website with permission of the GfA board.
On 26 July 2019 Felix Engel submitted the application for formation of the workgroup to the GfA board with 23 endorsements from GfA members. He asked the board to inform the GfA members of the application and provide them with the submitted documents in preparation of the members assembly.
On 20 September 2019 the GfA secretary issued an email circular to all members informing them about the proposed formation of a workgroup on data standardisation and modelling and another proposal for a workgroup ’network for research on living populations‘. The message contained the related documents as attachments.
After submission of the application to the society board, four additional GfA members supported it with their signatures.
The GfA members assembly convened on 25 September 2019 alongside the 13th international meeting of the society in Göttingen (Germany). The formation of the workgroup was granted without any dissenting votes and with one abstention.
On 26 September 2019, ten meeting participants with an interest in the workgroup met at noon to exchange their ideas about possible group activities. As most of the initiators and supporters were not at the meeting, a constitutive meeting was postponed to a later date.
Felix Engel wrote a report about these events based on his personal memory.
The ADSM held its first meeting on 20 January 2020 in Freiburg (Germany). The meeting was hosted by Biological Anthropology – Faculty of Medicine at Freiburg University. Some meeting participants took part via video stream. In the run-up to the meeting GfA members submitted input for the meeting that was summarised in a concept paper which then formed the basis for discussion.
During the meeting, scope and aims of the group were defined, decisions were taken to engage in a number of activities and two group speakers were elected.
The section council „Ancient Cultures“ (Fachkollegium „Alte Kulturen“) within the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG) held a meeting in Bonn (Germany) to discuss research data from DFG-funded projects and their management with representatives from related scientific associations and corporations. Following a suggestions from the GfA board, Felix Engel represented the ADSM and the GfA in general at the meeting.
The projected consortium NFDI4Objects within the German National Research Data Infrastructure (Nationale Forschungsdateninfrastruktur, NFDI) held a preparatory meeting in Potsdam (Germany). On 17 February 2020, GfA board member Bettina Jungklaus forwarded an invitation message from Christin Keller to ADSM speaker Felix Engel asking him if the work group could send someone. Barbara Teßmann agreed to attend the meeting on behalf of the ADSM. The invitation for the GfA was renewed by Philipp Rummel, a speaker of the NFDI4Objects group, at the DFG meeting in Bonn.
During its constitutive meeting on 20 January 2020 the ADSM decided to motivate the GfA to release guidelines concerning the handling of research data in biological anthropology. Barbara Teßmann, Alexander Lutz and Felix Engel were commissioned to enact this decision. They met in a video conference to discuss initial steps. Additional topics were Felix‘ participation in a DFG meeting in Bonn and Barbara’s participation in an NFDI4Objects meeting in Postdam as well as possible consequences for the GfA. During the meeting it was decided to urge the GfA to participate in the NFDI process.
On 12 April 2020, Alexander Lutz sent a circular to the representatives of all GfA workgroups inviting them to collaborate in the development of guidelines for good practice of research data management in Biological Anthropology. This had been agreed among the commission for research data guidelines in their video conference on 08 April 2020.
This is the full text of the email message:
Liebe geschätzte AG-Sprecher,
mein Name ist Alexander Lutz, ich bin seit 2013 Mitglied der GfA und engagiere mich nun innerhalb der neuen AG Datenstandardisierung und -Modellierung (ADSM).
Als Kommission, welche die Anregung zu den Forschungsdaten-Richtlinien in der AG ADSM vorantreiben soll, hatten wir (Barbara Teßmann, Felix Engel und ich) kürzlich ein Online-Meeting (via Skype). Beim Gründungstreffen im Januar 2020 hatten wir beschlossen, ein AG-internes „Best Practice Dokument zur Datenstandardisierung“ zu fertigen, damit neue Mitglieder der AG zügig auf den Arbeitsstand der AG gebracht werden. Doch warum sollte dies rein AG-intern bleiben? Wir wünschen uns eine Zusammenarbeit und regen Austausch mit den weiteren AGs!
Mein Anliegen, weswegen ich Ihnen schreibe:
Da in Ihren AGs sicher zahlreiche etablierte Methoden zum Umgang mit Forschungsdaten existieren, möchte ich Sie dazu einladen, dass wir ein gemeinsames Dokument „Richtlinien zum Umgang mit Forschungsdaten“ entwickeln. Bitte leiten Sie dieses Schreiben auch an die Mitglieder Ihrer AG weiter.
In finaler Form könnte das Dokument später als „Richtlinien der GfA“ verabschiedet werden und somit in DFG-Anträgen als zitierfähige Quelle dienen.
Ich bitte um Rückmeldung:
Wir bitten um Eingaben aus Ihrer AG. Können Sie vielleicht sogar schon Unterlagen zusenden?
Für eine Rückmeldung Ihrerseits notiere ich mir den 30.04.2020. Anschließend beginne ich mit der Abfassung des Dokuments und berücksichtige selbstverständlich alle eingegangenen Anregungen.
Herzlichen Dank und viele Grüße,
bleiben Sie gesund,
Alexander Lutz
There were no replies to this message from any of the workgroups.
On 27 February 2020 Barbara Teßmann attended a meeting of the projected consortium NFDI4Objects in Potsdam. During an online conference about research data management guidelines on 08 April 2020 a possible involvement of the GfA with the National Research Data Infrastructure (Nationale Forschungsdateninfrastruktur, NFDI) was discussed. Commenting on the minutes from this meeting, Toralf Kirsten declared to have NFDI experience that he would like to contribute. As a consequence, an online conference dedicated to a possible involvement of the GfA in the NFDI process.
The NFDI4Objects consortium held its meeting online. For the ADSM, Alexander Lutz, Toralf Kirsten and Felix Engel attended overlapping parts of the programme. The consortium had just sent the obligatory binding letter of intent to the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG) on 15 August. Now the individual task areas presented their key concepts and the time schedule for the final application in September was outlined.
The consortium used the first meeting after the rejection of the first application by the German Research Foundation to outline their plans for a more successful second application. For the ADSM, Toralf Kirsten and Felix Engel attended parts of the meeting.
Felix Engel, Alexander Lutz and Barbara Teßmann met online to discuss preparation of a workshop in the autumn of 2021 that should spark off the development of research data guidelines for the GfA.
Felix Engel, Toralf Kirsten and Barbara Teßmann met online to discuss the current state of the planned consortium NFDI4Objects within the German National Research Data Infrastructure (Nationale Forschungsdateninfrastruktur – NFDI) and the possibilities of an ongoing involvement of GfA and ADSM. Another topic was the organisation of an ADSM business meeting in the near future.
Felix Engel met Felix Schäfer, representative of the NFDI4Objects pilot „Environment Analysis“, online to discuss possible cooperation between the project and the ADSM.
Felix Engel met Christian Bölling, representative of the NFDI4Objects pilot „Semantic interoperability of object data in archaeological and natural history contexts: an interdisciplinary approach“, online to discuss possible cooperation between the project and the ADSM.
The ADSM held its regular business meeting online. The meeting covered the following topics: Report from the workgroup spokespeople, Workgroup reference database, National Research Data Infrastructure, Research data management guidelines, Election of spokespeople, Future workgroup activities.
During the meeting, Toralf Kirsten and Felix Engel were re-elected as spokespeople for the workgroup.