The grant was provided by DANS for digitizing legacy data: an archive of paper research data. Data of manual coring of the Dutch river area from the 70s and 80s were divided into smaller sub-archives by dr. Cohen. In addition to scanning the analogue materials, the research data had to be entered into a database as well. Furthermore, the files had to be converted to a contemporary file format. Analogue maps were scanned and subsequently georeferenced.
The relocation of the Faculty of Geosciences put pressure on the digitisation of the paper archives. Due to an article in a DANS newsletter, dr. Cohen was aware of the possibilities of a KDP-grant. Thanks to the timing of the application, the faculty decided to double the amount of the grant. The upcoming ‘Key register Subsoil’ (dutch: Basisregistratie Ondergrond, BRO) provided the necessary momentum for similar initiatives. The BRO Act obliges parties to consult the national database of coring descriptions set up by the BRO in case of spatial interventions.
Data sharing is important for transparency in regard to the origin of data. In addition, cost efficiency is an important aspect of data sharing. Data does not have to be collected again by different parties. Dr. Cohen also mentions the sustainable aspect of reusing data: “Data collected in the past is not always easy to collect again. Areas were once agricultural and accessible, while they have been developed into residential areas and therefore increasingly difficult to access.” The KDP grant provided financial support to make a useful addition to a long-term digitisation process.
The dataset can be accessed through EASY.
Additional information
Interested in a KDP grant? The conditions and procedure of the grant application can be found here. You can apply for a KDP grant until 1 October 2019.
