Agricultural data management and sharing: Best practices and case study
Eli K. Moore, Adam Kriesberg, Steven Schroeder, Kerrie Geil, Inga Haugen, Carol Barford, Erica Johns, Dan Arthur, Megan Sheffield, Stephanie Ritchie, Carolyn Jackson, Cynthia Parr
Abstract
Abstract Agricultural data are crucial to many aspects of production, commerce, and research involved in feeding the global community. However, in most agricultural research disciplines standard best practices for data management and publication do not exist. Here we propose a set of best practices in the areas of peer review, minimal dataset development, data repositories, citizen science initiatives, and support for best data management. We illustrate some of these best practices with a case study in dairy agroecosystems research. While many common, and increasingly disparate data management and publication practices are entrenched in agricultural disciplines, opportunities are readily available for promoting and adopting best practices that better enable and enhance data‐intensive agricultural research and production.