Data Pre-Cruise Planning

Schmidt Ocean Institute is committed to the open sharing of Data and makes all underway data, as well as that captured by Schmidt Ocean Institute's assets, publicly available as soon as possible.

This page outlines the data management requirements and workflows for upcoming expeditions aboard R/V Falkor (too) in relation to data collected or produced by scientists or systems brought on by scientists. Effective coordination of data collection, movement, and sharing is essential to ensure the success and long-term impact of each project.

Here you’ll find guidance on completing the required forms, integrating instruments with the ship’s systems, and preparing data for public release. These instructions complement the Cruise Support Plan and are intended to help chief scientists and their teams finalize all data-related details before departure.

Summary of Required Actions

Task	Responsible Party	Form/Document	Purpose
Identify and document all data deliverables	Chief Scientist & Science Team	Data Deliverables Spreadsheet	Define datasets, responsibilities, and release timelines
Specify data integration needs	Chief Scientist & Instrument Leads	Data Integration Form	Enable integration with SOI systems
Note ship data input requirements	Chief Scientist	Cruise Support Plan (Data Section)	Request inputs such as position or timestamp data
Indicate data transfer/storage needs	Chief Scientist	Cruise Support Plan	Plan NAS usage and bandwidth allocations

1. Data and Deliverables Management

All data collected during the expedition, including third-party instrument data, sample metadata, and derived analytical results, must be made publicly available through appropriate data centers. There is no hold back period on data ( All data must be made publicly available within 2 years preferably sooner. The 2-year time period is to allow for data sets that may need additional processing time. Data can not be held privately while awaiting publication.)

To support this:

Complete the Data Deliverables Spreadsheet.

This spreadsheet defines all data deliverables associated with the expedition and informs the Joint Project Agreement and Data Sharing Agreements. The spreadsheet will be made available to you in the cruise support plan or on request.
- Each team member responsible for data production, sample collection, or analysis must provide:
  - Data type and description
  - Responsible party
  - Planned public release schedule
  - Data Center where it will be deposited
- Prompt completion will ensure all necessary data sharing and management protocols are in place prior to departure.
Responsibility for Public Access:

Generally, data from systems brought aboard by scientists remain the responsibility of those scientists for submission to the designated repositories and, if required, for sharing with onboard observers.
Inclusion in Cruise Data Package:
- Data captured independently can be transferred into the ship’s Cruise Data package for network access and archiving to the Chief Scientist’s NAS drive and backups.
- Even when included in this Cruise Data package, data owners remain responsible for submitting their datasets to the agreed-upon public repository.

2. Data Integration and System Inputs

If your instruments require integration with R/V Falkor (too) systems, either to receive ship data (e.g., position, time) or to record directly through SOI’s acquisition systems, please ensure the following:

Complete the Data Integration Form.

Provide technical details via the form listed in the Cruise Support plan or by request for any instruments that require integration with SOI systems for data to be written to file with timestamped acquisition support.
- When possible, SOI can incorporate your data streams into the ship’s systems to ensure files are properly written and included in the Cruise Data package.
- Real-time data parsing or dashboard visualization may be possible depending on system capabilities.
List Required Ship Inputs.

In the Cruise Support Plan, use the Data section to specify any ship-supplied inputs needed for your instruments (e.g., NMEA or UDP messages for ship position).