Developing a Vision for Improving the Discovery and Accessibility of Bathymetric Data

Improving the discovery and accessibility of global bathymetry data requires an understanding of the needs of the diverse community of individuals and organizations who create, manage and utilize data for a wide variety of purposes. Comprehensive metadata is necessary to document bathymetry data to enable discovery, access and use. Sharing tools and knowledge that support data management, curation and assembly efforts can deliver efficiency and help achieve mutually beneficial goals. Optimizing data accessibility requires gathering input to understand community needs with respect to metadata, formats and use-cases. By seeking to understand barriers to access, we can both prioritize enhancements to meet the needs of users and identify opportunities for coordination and collaboration. A series of engagement events were convened to gather community input from the complementary perspectives of data producers, data curators, tool developers, data providers and data consumers. These events identified barriers that inhibit data sharing and opportunities for improving accessibility. By seeking to understand these barriers, we can better meet the needs of users and identify opportunities for coordination and collaboration. Cross-cutting community priorities related to bathymetry data acquisition, stewardship, and use were also identified.