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Process Recording

This webinar discusses the work of the process recording pathfinder in PSDI.

About the Webinar​

Welcome to the Physical Sciences Data Infrastructure (PSDI) webinar series. This webinar series is designed to communicate the PSDI work to a wider audience! In this second webinar, held on 27th July 2023, we looked at the work in Pathfinder 2: Process Recording. The webinar is presented by Dr Samantha Kanza who leads work looking at all aspects of process recording for PSDI.

Abstract​

Process recording is fundamental to ensuring the preservation of the scientific record and enabling reproducibility. The Electronic Lab Notebook (ELN) was originally created to serve as a direct replacement for the paper lab notebook, to ensure the digital capture and retention of the scientific record. What seemed like an obvious simple software-based solution has been anything but, and there are now over 80 active ELNs on the market and a wide range of different approaches have been taken to digitizing scientific research across academia and industry.

This talk discusses the shift in software offerings and attitudes to process recording software and report on the results of a recent survey on ELN and Notebook Usage in our physical sciences community. We also discuss the current work that is being undertaken in this pathfinder to produce a comprehensive resource on process recording tools to aid researchers in identifying the best solution(s) for them. It also covers research being undertaken around the different aspects of process recording, and community recommendations for making improvements in these areas, such as metadata, semantics, data standards and the use of hybrid/voice technologies.

Bio​

Dr Samantha Kanza is a Senior Enterprise Fellow at the University of Southampton. She is a Pathfinder Lead and researcher in the Physical Sciences Data Infrastructure initiative. She also coordinates the Future Blood Testing Network (www.futurebloodtesting.org) run out of Reading as well as previously co-ordinating the AI 4 Scientific Discovery Network (AI4SD – www.ai4science.network). Samantha works in the interdisciplinary research area of applying computer science techniques to the scientific domain, specifically through the use of semantic web technologies and artificial intelligence. Her research includes looking at electronic lab notebooks and smart laboratories, to improve the digitization and knowledge management of the scientific record using semantic web technologies; and using IoT devices in the laboratory. She has also worked on a number of interdisciplinary Semantic Web projects in different domains, including agriculture, chemistry and the social sciences.

Watch the recording​

You can watch this recording via our You Tube channel.

What to do next​

Related links:

  • Galaxy Training
  • Elixir TeSS: extensive training materials with a focus on computation in the life sciences, but many courses are also relevant for the physical sciences community.
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