Transcript Filing systems - University of Hertfordshire

Research Data Management
FILING SYSTEMS
Research Data Management
Filing Systems
Filing is more than saving files, it’s making sure you can find them later in your project.
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Naming
Directory Structure
File Types
Versioning
All these help to keep your data safe and accessible.
My Project
Getting Started with Research Data Management
Research Data Management
Activity
What is data?
What does data mean to you? Spend a couple of minutes thinking about what
data you will be working with, throughout your project.
Then we’ll combine your ideas and compare them between disciplines.
Getting Started with Research Data Management
Research Data Management
Naming Conventions
What’s in a name?
Creating systematic names can be as simple as assigning a prefix or a number to each
object in which case they are a type of numbering scheme.
Using a naming convention means that you can distinguish similar records from one
another at a glance.
You can combine information to form logical file names, changing sections of it to
reflect the differences between the files.
Getting Started with Research Data Management
Research Data Management
File formats
The formats most likely to be accessible in the future are:
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non-proprietary
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in an open, documented standard
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commonly used by the research community
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in a standard representation e.g. ASCII, Unicode
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unencrypted
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and uncompressed
Getting Started with Research Data Management
Research Data Management
File formats
Images / Photos
Plots
Code
Tables
Audio-Visual
Transcripts
Getting Started with Research Data Management
Research Data Management
File formats
Formats
Images
Raw, Processed, Plotted,
Photos, Scans, CAD
Tables
Catalogues, Query results,
Calculations, Measurements
Source code
Models, simulations, scripts,
inputs, outputs, instructions
Interviews
Audio, Video, Written
Transcript
Uses
Considerations
FITS, JPG, PNG,
BMP, PS
Reuse, paper,
talk, poster,
archive, web
Use, size,
longevity
Text files, FITS,
spread sheets
Code input,
spectra, plot,
paper, CDS
Use, metadata,
accessibility
.c, .pl, .py, .idl,
README, Make
file, input,
output
Third party edit,
run. paper, web
User friendly;
functions, size
.txt, .odt, .doc.,
mp3, .mp4, .avi
Producing
transcripts,
further analysis
Format,
longevity,
security,
metadata
Getting Started with Research Data Management
Research Data Management
File formats
Examples of preferred format choices:
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PDF/A, not Word
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ASCII, not Excel
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MPEG-4, not QuickTime
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TIFF or JPEG2000, not GIF or JPG
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XML or RDF, not RDBMS
When considering the best file formats for your data, you should think about crossplatform formats and the simplest forms
Getting Started with Research Data Management
Research Data Management
File sizes
The format you choose will also affect the compression of your data and how much
storage space you’re going to need to keep your data safe and accessible.
Consider a 5 Megapixel image.
The table below gives the size of that file in different standard formats. You can see
what a difference your format makes to your storage requirements. You should think
about which is best for your outputs: For the RDM website, resizing the image saves
space and prevents the image becoming distorted by compression by the browser.
JPG
JPG resized
(1024 x 776)
PNG
BMP
TIFF
PDF
1.5 MB
0.2 MB
9.0 MB
15.0 MB
3.0 MB
0.8 MB
Getting Started with Research Data Management
Research Data Management
Versioning
Keep editing under control
Whether you’re working on developing software or writing a document, keeping track
of changes made by you and your collaborators is a useful tool as you can check that
issues have been addressed and mistakes can be undone.
Some software will automatically control your versions, while others require you to
‘Save As’ for a new version – every day or every time changes are made.
Cloud storage facilities such as LiveDrive and RackSpace as well as the UH Document
Management System (DMS) lock documents while they are being edited so you cannot
work on the same file as others preventing overwriting.
Getting Started with Research Data Management