BODC's role

BODC is a national facility and the designated marine data centre for the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and has established a reputation for being at the forefront of marine data management. It has developed numerous in-house tools and technologies, such as visualization and QC software (Edserplo), robust and flexible file formats (QXF), a Relational Database Management System (RDMS), and a parameter usage vocabulary consisting of more than 20,000 physical, chemical, biological and geological parameters. In addition, BODC is an active partner in national and international projects whose objectives are to further and promote marine data management.

As part of a coordinated approach to marine science, and because of the growing realisation of the importance of data management within the scientific and wider community, BODC and the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) at Liverpool (formerly the Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory) have entered into a laboratory liaison programme. The BODC Laboratory Liaison Officer (LLO) for NOC (Liverpool site) is responsible for

• identifying data sets for long-term archive and stewardship at BODC
  
• loading these data to our databases
  
• standardising the metadata so that it can be readily understood and be compliant with NERC's data and information discovery and delivery systems, including identifying any restrictions on the data
  
• archiving Oceans 2025 data
  
• providing a cruise data processing service for Coastal Observatory scientists
  
• making data available to a wider audience in accordance with the NERC Data policy and appropriate legislation and Government guidance
  
• servicing Freedom of Information (FOI) or Environmental Information Regulations (EIR) requests for data that are held at BODC
  

In order to achieve these requirements the LLO is required to consult with the Oceans 2025 research theme leaders and with individual research scientists on site.