Scientific Collections Conservation Unit - C3S
Samples at CEREGE
CEREGE covers the disciplines of Environmental Geosciences (palaeoclimatology, palaeoceanography, geodynamics, soil dynamics, water, waste, planetology....).
We store «wet» elements (water, sediment, etc.) in containers and cold rooms, while «dry» storage is kept in carousels and laboratories.
The geographical spread, combined with the variety of typologies and the ever-increasing number of samples, made it necessary toé not only the involvement of staff but also the implementation of a database managed by an integrated management system called collec-science.
The team
- D. Delanghe,Earth and Planets team
- S. Conrod, Climate Team
- G. Gassier, RHYCA team
- W. Barthelemy, Climate Team
You can reach us at this address: stockage@cerege.fr
Curation: an observation leading to solutions
The need to coordinate the management of samples in order to share information, track exchanges, analyses and data so that they can be re-used, ensure data traceability, provide access to sites that are currently inaccessible, and provide access to data and associated publications led to the creation in 2019 of the Cellule de Conservation des Collections Scientifiques (C3S) (Scientific Collections Conservation Unit), which has taken up these issues in a national context concerning the preservation of collections (Paléonto symposium, Villers sur Mer, Sept. 2022; geocollections and Virtual Geotheque network).
It is organised around a project team of 3 people, technical advisors from the 4 teams, scientific resource people in the teams and is linked to the Management via 2 advisors.
There are 2 closely related issues at stake:
Structural issues to ensure that samples are properly stored and that there is room for everyone.
- Guarantee quality sampling and analysis over time
- Ensuring the acquisition and tracing of information
- Optimising space
Preservation issues information and guaranteed visibility
- Locating archives
- Quick access to all samples
- Preserve your traceability, your career path, your parentage
- Sharing information
Relational database :
Constructing, storing, organising and presenting data in such a way as to make it easily and quickly accessible and reusable.
How do we do it?
A relational database with nesting :
C3S is proposing its own ontology and thesaurus in consultation with researchers and the community that has carried out this work (CyberCarothèque WG, IGSN, eRecolnat).
Today, is a CEREGE collection created for 6 types of sample (sediment, rock, soil, biology, liquid, ice), 19 types of container and a metadata template specific to the Geosciences.
COLLEC-SCIENCE: DBMS adapted to research
Collec-Science (CS) is a modular web application, A customisable system for tracking samples collected as part of scientific experiments.
We have adapted CS to our data structure in order to :
- Organise, structure and rationalise: made possible by the great versatility of metadata
- Trace location in stock, affiliation of sub-samples, label (QR codes)
- To perpetuate, secure, more autonomous: deployed by CEREGE servers, LDAP directory
- View and make the most of information
- Manage «the life of the sample»
What's next?
Today, this work is part of an ongoing national reflection with participation in the Collec-Science, COPIL Cybercarothèque, GT Géothèque Virtuelle and GT BDD REGEF working groups.
The aim is to make the information and associated samples dynamic.
