CC* Data Storage: Closing Caltech's data storage gap: from ad-hoc to well-managed stewardship of large-scale datasets

Caltech Library and the campus IT group, IMSS (Information Management Systems and Services) are collaborating to build research data storage and sharing infrastructure for a sustainable future. Two Open Storage Network (OSN) pods provide 2.2 TB of long-term storage for both Caltech researchers and the wider research community through the Advanced Cyberinfrastructure Coordination Ecosystem: Services & Support (ACCESS) program. OSN storage enables the existing CaltechDATA institutional repository to share larger files and empowers Caltech researchers to generate Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR) data. 15 campus research groups are committed to openly sharing over 600 TB of data, spanning a wide range of research areas including biological sequencing and imaging, astronomy, geosciences, and engineering. This rich data resource broadens participation in science by providing global access to raw data from cutting-edge microscopes, telescopes, and supercomputers that are currently limited to Caltech researchers. Training-based workforce development components include OSN instruction through basic cyberinfrastructure/programming workshops, in-class instruction, and training sessions that are open to all students, postdocs, faculty, staff, and collaborators. Support for a diverse group of student workers will engage them in the management of CaltechDATA and OSN storage. The open-source storage architecture serves as a model that other universities can deploy through open documentation. The combination of OSN and an open-source data repository such as InvenioRDM serves as a model of using open-source tools for institutional research data management and broadening participation. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.