New DFG Project SEND Earth Data Strengthens the Resilience of Earth System Data

Together with leading German research institutions, DKRZ will develop strategies and technical solutions to safeguard at-risk Earth System Science (ESS) datasets and strengthen the resilience of scientific data infrastructures. The project is coordinated by NFDI4Earth and will run for 18 months.

Earth System Science increasingly depends on international data infrastructures. Observational data, simulations, and derived data services are created through close collaboration among research institutions worldwide. Recent developments have demonstrated, however, that even well-established data services can become vulnerable due to organizational changes, budget constraints, or shifts in policy. SEND Earth Data addresses these challenges by identifying at-risk datasets and services, establishing redundancy where needed, and developing sustainable strategies for their long-term preservation and accessibility.

The project brings together the expertise of TU Dresden (NFDI4Earth), GEOMAR, GFZ, UFZ, Senckenberg, AWI, and DKRZ. Together, the partners will establish a national network spanning all major domains of Earth System Science—from climate, oceans, and hydrology to biodiversity and geosciences—while closely aligning their activities with European and international initiatives such as the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) and the Research Data Alliance (RDA).

DKRZ's Contribution

Within SEND Earth Data, DKRZ contributes its long-standing expertise in managing large-scale climate data collections and operating sustainable research data infrastructures. A central focus is the development of resilient solutions for petabyte-scale climate simulation datasets.

One of DKRZ's key tasks is the curation of large simulation ensembles into cloud-optimized Analysis-Ready Data (ARD). This will not only ensure the long-term preservation of these valuable datasets but also make them more accessible and efficient for modern cloud-based analysis workflows. These activities build on the existing long-term preservation infrastructure of the World Data Center for Climate (WDCC) and DKRZ's extensive climate data services.

In addition, DKRZ plays an important role in strengthening European collaboration. As a leading partner in the European Network for Earth System Modelling Research Infrastructure (ENES-RI) and a core node operator of the Earth System Grid Federation (ESGF), DKRZ will closely coordinate its activities with European partners such as IPSL (France) and CEDA (United Kingdom), as well as with EOSC-related resilience initiatives. These efforts will further strengthen the role of the WDCC as a trusted and sustainable component of the international climate data ecosystem.

Beyond Data Preservation

SEND Earth Data goes far beyond simply creating backup copies of datasets. The project will establish standardized workflows for data ingestion, quality assurance, metadata enrichment, and long-term curation. These technical developments will be complemented by legal best-practice guidance and strategic analyses designed to identify future risks to scientific data infrastructures at an early stage. The resulting methodologies, blueprints, and services will become part of the long-term NFDI4Earth service portfolio, supporting a resilient and sustainable research data ecosystem for the Earth System Science community.