Data quality: EMODnet Chemistry Coordinator OGS becomes a UNESCO-accredited data centre
The National Oceanographic Data Centre (NODC) at OGS that coordinates EMODnet Chemistry has been officially recognised by UNESCO as an accredited IODE National Oceanographic Data Centre. IODE stands for International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange Programme, a system of national data facilities established in 1961 by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO. The IODE aims to promote ocean research, exploration and development by facilitating the exchange of oceanographic data and information among participating member states and by meeting the needs of users for data and information products. Currently, the IODE network consists of 101 data centres from 68 member states, including those from Africa, Latin America and the Western Pacific region. This network is able to collect millions of marine data, control their quality, archive them and make them available to the community.
Only 11 NODCs in the IODE network are accredited. This does not surprise me, because setting up and maintaining a quality management system is a long and demanding activity that requires skills and competencies that go beyond what is commonly associated with a data centre. We need to think and act more like a company whose main focus is on meeting customer requirements and exceeding customer expectations.
In order to obtain accreditation, NODCs had to fulfil a number of requirements to ensure compliance with IODE standards and establish a Quality Management System (QMS). This is a mechanism that enables an organisation to identify risks and opportunities and provides guidance for improvement. The IODE Committee has created the IODE Quality Management Framework (IODE-QMF), which provides NODCs with an overall strategy, advice and guidance for the design and implementation of a QMS. In accordance with the IODE-QMF, the quality management system implemented by the NODCs complies with the international standard ISO 9001 for quality management. In particular, the NODCs comply with ISO 9001:2015, the most widely recognised and implemented standard for quality management systems.
The accreditation was presented for the first time at the second meeting of the Italian community of data stewards, which took place on 18 April in Bologna (Italy).
It is worth noting that the NODC at OGS is not the only IODE-accredited data centre in the EMODnet Chemistry network. Over the years, other seven partners have also been recognised by the IODE committee for the quality of their work or are ISO 9001 certified. The IODE accredited NODCs are also accredited as part of the World Data System.
Certification is just the beginning of the story! The capabilities and performance of NODCs are reviewed every four years by the IODE committee.
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