The Partnerships for Data Innovations (PDI): Facilitating data stewardship and catalyzing research engagement in the digital age

Abstract

Abstract For agricultural research to seize the potential of data‐driven technologies, profound changes are needed in the full spectrum of data management, highlighted by a shift of researchers, institutions, and agencies toward a culture of data stewardship. The USDA‐ARS established the Partnerships for Data Innovations (PDI) in 2019 to achieve this transformation from within. From the onset, PDI has integrated its customer–partners in developing and implementing state‐of‐the‐art digital tools, leveraging off‐the‐shelf technologies when advantageous. In its short life, PDI has transformed more than 100 projects, from projects catalyzing collaborative efforts and underpinning information management to those salvaging end‐of‐life data repositories. Empowered by this active inclusive partnership and through sharing digital solutions on a “Digital Research Workbench” within the ARS Agricultural Collaborative Research Outcomes System infrastructure, PDI hopes to accelerate agricultural research through standardization, automation, and integration and to help usher in a culture of digital age data stewardship.