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2. Involve experts from other domain projects, they may already have metadata schemas for your domain
Reaching out to domain experts and researchers who may have already worked on similar projects could be very beneficial. They may have insights into existing metadata schemas, vocabularies, or ontologies that aren't widely published but are used within specific communities. Collaboration can help you ensure that your schema is compatible with existing standards and practices as well as to avoid reinventing the wheel, in case someone worked on a similar problem in the past.
You could involve the experts in different ways, some of these may include:
Reaching out to communities or working groups: Join communities such as the Research Data Alliance (RDA), where working groups focus on creating, maintaining, and updating domain-specific standards.
Consult with data stewards: Many organizations and institutions employ data stewards whose job is to manage and standardize data. These professionals often have experience implementing existing metadata schemas and can provide valuable advice. In the Netherlands, there is an active Data Stewards Interest Group (DSIG) to whom you may reach out to.
Engage with domain-specific initiatives: Projects like ELIXIR (a European intergovernmental organization for life sciences data) often collaborate on metadata standards across multiple (life science) disciplines. They offer access to domain experts and resources you may be able to leverage.
Examples of expert groups:
The Global Alliance for Genomics and Health (GA4GH): Works on developing standards and frameworks for sharing genomic and clinical data. They provide key guidelines like Phenopackets, a standard for sharing phenotypic data.
NIH Common Data Elements (CDE): Experts involved with NIH CDE projects focus on creating consistent data elements for clinical and translational research, which could overlap with your work.
You can find experts through:
Professional networks like LinkedIn, where you can search for professionals in bioinformatics or metadata management.
Conferences and workshops where metadata and data standardization are frequently discussed.
By engaging experts and learning from their experience, you can ensure that your metadata schema is aligned with ongoing efforts in your domain.
3. Search Bioportal or the Ontology Lookup Service
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