FAIR Data Maturity Model Specification and Guidelines. [Proposed recommendation; version for public review]

Abstract

The FAIR Data Maturity Model defines a set of indicators, their priorities and evaluation methods for the evaluation of the FAIR principles to be used as a common approach across assessment methodologies. This document specifies the indicators for the FAIR assessment designed for re-use in evaluation approaches and provides guidelines for their use. The guidelines are intended to assist evaluators to implement the indicators in the evaluation approach or tool they manage. The exact way to evaluate data based on the core criteria is up to the owners of the evaluation approaches, taking into account the requirements of their community. The objective here is then to make sure that the indicators, the maturity levels and the prioritisation are understood in the same way. The maturity model is not meant as a “how to”, but instead as a way to normalise assessment. Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability and Reusability – the FAIR principles – intend to define a minimal set of related but independent and separable guiding principles and practices that enable both machines and humans to find, access, interoperate and re-use research data and metadata. The FAIR principles have to be considered as inspiring concepts but not strict rules. Unfortunately, they often lead to diverse interpretations and ambiguity. To remedy the proliferation of FAIRness measurements based on different interpretations of the principles, the RDA Working Group “FAIR data maturity model” established in January 2019 aims to develop a common set of core assessment criteria for FAIRness, as an RDA Recommendation. In the course of 2019 and the first half of 2020, the WG established a set of indicators and maturity levels for those indicators. As a result of the work, a first set of guidelines and a checklist related to the implementation of the indicators were produced, with the objective to further align the guidelines for evaluating FAIRness with the needs of the community.