Project Data Management Plans
A Data Management Plan is a project-level plan for how data will be generated, managed, protected, shared, and preserved. It is not a run record and does not need to be duplicated for every subproject.
For the conceptual structure, GeoEpi follows the six categories described by the USDA National Agricultural Library, with ICPSR data-management guidance as a secondary reference:
- Expected data types — what the project will collect, create, receive, or reuse, including useful metadata.
- Data formats and standards — formats, schemas, data dictionaries, and community standards.
- Data storage and preservation — working locations, authoritative copies, backup/recovery, retention, and long-term preservation.
- Data sharing, protection, and public access — access levels, restrictions, agreements, licenses, embargoes, and release plans.
- Roles and responsibilities — who manages data, maintains access, handles transitions, and supplies needed resources.
- Monitoring and review/reporting — how implementation, sharing, and changes will be reviewed and reported.
Keep the plan specific enough to guide the project, but proportional to its data and risks. Review it when the project’s data, agreements, storage, people, or products change. Include a review date and responsible person.
Start with the DMP template. The NAL page describes USDA and ARS contexts; GeoEpi uses it here as the primary conceptual source and does not infer additional USDA or institutional requirements from it.