D3.1 Report on Best Practices and traceability, including gap analysis

This deliverable describes key elements for a Best Practices and Standards (BP&S)strategy for a future EuroGO-SHIP research infrastructure (EGS-RI). The strategy considers generic elements of European RI rather than the specifics of a future EGS-RI, which are unknown at this stage. Two pillars addressed: the EGS-RI governance structure and technical aids. For the EGS-RI governance structure three elements are identified: an Person of Contact for all affairs related to Best Practices and Standards (BP&S-PoC), an EGS-RI Endorsement Panel, and EGSRI topical Convergence Working groups. This structure will enable seamless workflow on all BP&S related issues in a future EGS-RI, it will enable overlooking an EGS-RI specific “endorsement process” to elevate Practices to be the recommended ones for trusted and fitfor-purpose operations in the future EGS-RI, and it will enable the dialogue needed with external expert groups of other hydrography practitioners (e.g., GO-SHIP), with Best Practices and standards initiatives (e.g., IOC-OBPS, EUMETNET), and with EGS-RI joint data/metadata management and knowledge transfer approaches. The EGS-RI Technical aids shall include anEGS-RI Best Practices repository, but not necessary maintained by the EGS-RI but eventually external (e.g., IOC-OBPS repository or a future EU BP repository). Given the design will very much depend on how the structure of a future EGS-RI is agreed on we here can only provide suggestions for an initial design and workflow within a future EGS-RI.