In Situ Data

The objective of the Theia|OZCAR Information System is to make visible all in-situ observation data on continental surface collected by French research organizations and their partners in France and abroad.

The information system enables in situ data to be explored and accessed via a single portal, accessible via the Theia continental surface data hub: https://in-situ.theia-land.fr/. Over the coming months (2024), more datasets will become available, and the information system will be enhanced with visualisation and download functionalities : https://www.ozcar-ri.org/

The principles that guided the choices made and the technical elements are described in the article Braud et al, (2020) “Building the Information System of the French Critical Zone Observatories Network: Theia/OZCAR-IS“.

A single portal dedicated to in situ observation data on continental surfaces

The development of the THEIA|OZCAR Information System began with data from labelled observatories that are part of the OZCAR Research Infrastructure (RI) – Observatories of the Critical Zone: Observation and Research. It will then be extended to data from other sources (research programs, non-labelled observatories). The Information System under development is based on data exchange standards (INSPIRE, OGC) and is committed to implementing the FAIR principles.

At the French level, this project is carried out in coordination with Data Terra RI, of which Theia is a member, as well as Aeris, ForM@Ter and Odatis. Theia|OZCAR also contributes to preparing the French community to integrate European infrastructures such as eLTER-RI (European Long Term Ecological Research), registered on the European roadmap (2018) and whose French mirror eLTER-France includes OZCAR RI.

22 observatories around the world

The IR OZCAR coordinates 22 certified observatories that manage around sixty sites in France and abroad (North and West Africa, Asia, South America, the Arctic), ranging from a few hectares to several hundred or even thousands of km².

These observatories collect in situ data concerning land surfaces over the long term, some of which start as early as 1960. In the current census there are more than 300 different variables measured by OZCAR-RI observatories (including both physical variables and chemical species) whose names have been harmonized. In situ data are mainly time series, but also gridded data, vector data, or 2D profiles. A test version of the portal, targeting time series, will be delivered in December 2019.

The development of the Theia|OZCAR information system is supported by the CNRS-INSU, the IRD and the ANR FairTOIS : ” Implémenter les principes FAIR dans le système d’information Theia|OZCAR” (Implementing the FAIR principles in the Theia|OZCAR information system).

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