From Standing Apart to Standing Together A Decolonial Approach to Place-Based Research Using DataCite Metadata

From Standing Apart to Standing Together A Decolonial Approach to Place-Based Research Using DataCite Metadata Erin Robinson CEO, Metadata Game Changers December 11, 2025 | CARE Principles Webinar DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17957421 In collaboration with: Jane Anderson, NYU Neil Davies, UC Gump South Pacific Research Station Ted Habermann, Metadata Game Changers 1 10.5281/zenodo.17957421 From Standing Apart to Standing Together A Decolonial Approach to Place-Based Research Using DataCite Metadata Erin Robinson CEO, Metadata Game Changers December 11, 2025 | CARE Principles Webinar In collaboration with: Jane Anderson, NYU Neil Davies, UC Gump South Pacific Research Station Ted Habermann, Metadata Game Changers 1 ‘Decolonization is not a metaphor’, Tuck and Yang, 2012 White, settler woman | Boulder, CO Passionate about Earth science, data management and DataCite Information Science Researcher (Received Ph.D. in November!) CEO, Metadata Game Changers, LLC Research Data Management Advisor & Co-I, FAIR Island Project, where I was introduced to field stations. Positionality Biological field stations are called different things: Institutes, marine labs, research stations (Image source:NRC, 2014) (Kohler, 2002; Groeben, 2013) French Polynesia Hawaii California •118 islands (68 inhabited) •280 000 inhabitants (70 % in Tahiti) •EEZ = 5 000 000 km2 New Zealand Easter Island Raiatea Tahiti Mo’orea White-Davies, 2025 Established 1985 UC Gump South Pacific Research Station Moorea, French Polynesia moorea.berkeley.edu/ Community Center Research Station Science-Society Dialogue Modified from Davies Tetiaroa is a private atoll that is mostly managed as a Natural Reserve by Tetiaroa Society 501c3. One of the islets is the site of an award-winning LEED Platinum eco resort - The Brando. The hotel has provided a research station for Tetiaroa Society, which is managed in partnership with UC Gump Station. https://www.tetiaroasociety.org/ Modified from Davies Scientific Fieldwork This device will be left to collect materials and picked up and analyzed some time later Installing Equipment Fieldwork often involves observations and occurrence data Making Observations Fieldwork includes collecting samples like the ones above - soil, water and sediment. Collecting Samples Museum 1 Museum 2 Repository 1 Lab 1 extractions PCR t i s s u e s trace generation (Robinson modified from Meyer and Snyder, 2022) Collecting Event multiple specimens Biocode Project Researcher •2007-2010 •Collected 50,000 samples •Sequenced those samples •DOIs – Digital Object Identifiers •RORs research organizations •ORCIDs for people – creators and collaborators Persistent identifiers are globally unique names Persistent identifiers are ‘boundary objects' Robinson, 2025 Star and Griesemer, 1989 •DOIs – Digital Object Identifiers •RORs research organizations •ORCIDs for people – creators and collaborators Persistent identifiers are globally unique names Persistent identifiers are boundary objects Robinson, 2025 •DOIs – Digital Object Identifiers •RORs research organizations •ORCIDs for people – creators and collaborators Persistent identifiers are globally unique names Persistent identifiers are boundary objects •F. (meta)data are assigned a globally unique and persistent identifier •A. (meta)data are retrievable by their identifier using a standardized communications protocol Robinson, 2025 DOI Metadata allows for standard relationships to be made between DOIs, ORCIDs and RORs Connected they produce a boundary infrastructure - the Global Research Infrastructure Jones and Habermann, 2025 Metadata Robinson, 2025 •F. (meta)data are assigned a globally unique and persistent identifier •A. (meta)data are retrievable by their identifier using a standardized communications protocol •I. (meta)data include qualified references to other (meta)data •R. meta(data) are richly described with a plurality of accurate and relevant attributes Metadata Control Shifting Power with Infrastructure Repository Control Decolonial, Place-based Approach ●The FAIR principles focus on characteristics of data that will facilitate increased data sharing in machine-to-machine environments ●This creates a tension for Indigenous Peoples who are asserting greater control over the application and use of Indigenous Data and Indigenous Knowledge for collective benefit. See https://www.gida-global.org/care Field Station Support The field stations have power over researchers when they facilitate access Field Station Director Researcher Pre-fieldwork Researchers are more willing to accommodate administrative requests Field Station Support Field Station Director Project Biocode Project Std. Metadata Create a DOI for the Biocode Project using Gump Station Application for access Researchers Doing Science Reporting Science leads to NOTE: Our project had the capability to control the DOIs for the Gump Station Robinson, 2025 Illuminated Project Field Station Support Project Std. Metadata Creator1, Creator2, Creator3,.... (2007). Biocode Project. Gump Station. https://doi.org/10.17913/100501.9 190 Field Station Director Doing Science Reporting Science Now Biocode Project can be cited directly Biocode Project Illuminated Project Robinson, 2025 leads to Digital and Physical Collections Field Station communities We created infrastructure interventions that disrupt colonial power dynamics Field Station Director Researcher A redistribution of power — from over to with Tuck and Yang, 2012 Digital and Physical Collections Field Station communities We created infrastructure interventions that disrupt colonial power dynamics Field Station Director Researcher A redistribution of power — from over to with Tuck and Yang, 2012 This makes field stations digitally stand apart* *not to be confused standoffish Most field stations and repositories currently do not have capacity to do this Field Station Support Field Station Support Field Station Support Field Station Support Field Station Support Field Station Support Portions of the FAIR/CARE Toolkit were supported through projects conducted via Metadata Game Changers, LLC, with funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation (Grant #2226425 – SEEKCommons) and the NSF (Award #2132549 – FAIR Island). Metadata Control Shifting Power with Infrastructure Repository Control Decolonial, Place-based Approach Social Technological Platform Novel infrastructure to effectively monitor and assure compliance with research regulations across scales of governance and to connect research outputs back to ‘place’ The iPlaces platform “creates a culture in which the common self-interest of all participants is clear to everyone” Applicant Applicant 1. Project leader submits APPLICATION to the Station Director Director Cultural Reviewer Legal Reviewer Science Reviewer 2. Station reviews, facilitating DIALOGUE with local stakeholders Screenshots from iPlaces prototype with Kotahi, GEOME, DataCite Commons 5. Project leader submits detailed PLANS 3. Station publishes PROJECT, citable object for provenance tracking /compliance 4. Communities consent Indigenous settings may use Local Context LABELS 6. System helps generate APPLICATIONS for permits 8. Global Open Science Infrastructure automates tracking of project outputs 9. Station publishes REPORTS, dashboards facilitate compliance & translate benefits to local communities 7. Station publishes PERMITS, citable object for provenance tracking /compliance Place-Based Institutions My Places New Place-based Institutions Gump Station Tetiaroa Station You are not currently a member of any place-based institutions Places New Place Metadata Control Shifting Power with Infrastructure Repository Control Decolonial, Place-based Approach •Used existing infrastructure •Interrogated infrastructure with our values of FAIR and CARE •Provided feedback to infrastructure providers •Created Project metadata directly •Added connections to station, LC community and creators •Updated the record with links to related work (2-way connection) •We control the metadata and can archive artifacts •The ability to provide multiple kinds of review •We can control where the repository is physically hosted Moving Towards Standing Together Please reach out! Erin Robinson: [email protected] https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9998-0114 Neil Davies: [email protected] https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8085-5014 Thank you! This work was funded in part by the Moore Foundation Grant #: GBMF12333 and GBMF13115