...
Data specialist: can help with understanding of data structure,
Domain specialistexpert: can help with understanding of data elements.
How to
When analysing analyzing the data semantics of an existing data set or setting up a new data collection, you can consider the following:
Format and Structure: What is the format in which the data is available? What is the structure of the data?
Relations: What are the relations between the data elements? For example, if the dataset is in a relational database, the relational schema provides information about the dataset structure, the types involved (the field names), cardinality, etc.
Data Representation: Is the data representation ( format ) clear and unambiguous? What are the data types?
Data Semantics: Is the meaning of the data elements (data semantics) clear and unambiguous?
For a new data collection: define common data elements (CDEs) whose semantics are clear and unambiguous; for an existing data set, existing data elements can be aligned to CDEs.
In addition, check whether the data already contain contains FAIR features, such as persistent unique identifiers for data elements (for more information, see pre-FAIR assessment).
When While performing this step, also keep your FAIRification goals in mind, since e.g., selecting a relevant subset of the data and defining driving user questions(s) are highly relying on being familiar with depend on a thorough understanding of the data.
Practical Examples from the Community
...