Establishing Workflows to Engage Stakeholder Groups in PID Metadata Maintenance

At the Helmholtz Association, we strive to establish a well-structured, harmonized data space that connects information across distributed data infrastructures. We believe that achieving this goal requires the standardization of dataset descriptions using appropriate metadata—such as PID metadata—to ensure interoperability and machine actionability. While developing concepts to harmonize PID metadata is an essential first step in building a data space, it is not sufficient on its own. The practical use of PIDs to support the compilation of rich and relevant metadata for datasets requires knowledge, training, support, and cooperation among multiple stakeholder groups, each responsible for different parts of the information. ORCID, for example, is a PID system designed to identify individuals contributing to research. While this traditionally refers to scientists publishing journal articles, research data involves other important stakeholders as well. These include technicians who operate instrumentation, data managers who curate research data and repositories, and administrative staff who maintain institutional data relevant to research. Currently, many of these individuals are unaware of their potential role in the research data ecosystem, and the information they collect is often not harmonized. To address this, we need to implement workflows that capture the information these stakeholders produce, structure it appropriately, and connect it to research data where relevant. In the case of ORCID, these workflows should begin as early as possible—ideally when someone is hired. PIDINST is another PID system, recently introduced by an RDA working group. It provides a simple metadata schema aimed at collecting basic information about instruments and registering them with a unique identifier. These IDs are highly valuable for identifying measurements conducted with the same or similar devices. We therefore strongly recommend the implementation of PIDs across Helmholtz. In the case of PIDINST, the workflow should begin with the acquisition of an instrument or sensor and continue through to the responsible technician, who must keep the information up to date. For researchers, the PIDINST provides sufficient metadata to reliably identify any device used in the scientific process. In this presentation, we propose tailored workflows to integrate specific PIDs and stakeholder groups, and explore strategies for implementing them within the Helmholtz Association. Additionally, we assign clear responsibilities for metadata maintenance to each stakeholder group. The conclusions drawn from this process aim to redefine stakeholder roles and responsibilities within our organization.