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Data Management Plans in InPort

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Overview

As of Release 6.0.0, InPort now supports the direct creation and management of Data Management Plans (DMPs), based on the latest version of the NOAA DMP Template.

While InPort has previously supported the generation of DMPs from a Data Set record, DMPs have now been implemented as their own dedicated Catalog Item Type. Like other Catalog Items, DMPs are created within a Library's Catalog Hierarchy independently of other records.

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What is a DMP?

A Data Management Plan (DMP) is a document which describes how data will be handled and managed throughout its lifecycle, including such details as acquisition, collection, processing, access, protection, and preservation. According to the NOAA Data Management Handbook, the primary goal of data management planning is "to ensure that all parties involved have common expectations and coordinate data plan execution to ensure proper documentation, accessibility, and preservation for future use."

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What are the NOAA requirements for DMPs?

For a comprehensive overview of the requirements for DMPs, please consult the NOAA Data Management Handbook, Section D ("Data Management Planning"). DMP authors should also coordinate with their respective line office ACDO and data governance representatives to ensure that all NOAA requirements -- as well as their own line office internal requirements -- are met.

The primary DMP requirements which InPort is intended to fulfill are:

  • Facilitating the creation and storage of DMPs in a NOAA DMP Repository, using the latest version of the NOAA DMP Template (as of this writing, version 3.1, 2025-02-11)
  • Providing a means and process to submit DMPs for ACDO approval
  • Providing ongoing access to DMPs to be consulted, reviewed, and updated throughout the data life cycle
  • Providing a platform to calculate and assess metrics related to DMPs

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What scope should each DMP cover?

DMPs can potentially be written to apply to a range of different scopes, including the program office, program, project, data type, and dataset level.

At this time, DMPs created in InPort are not tied to an explicit scope, although they can be linked to other higher-level DMPs. Additional functionality in InPort is in discussion and planned to be released in the future which more concretely delineates the scope of each DMP, as well as consolidates information commonly shared between linked DMPs.

For now, DMP authors should consult with their line office ACDO and data governance representatives to ensure their data is sufficiently covered with appropriate DMPs to meet NOAA requirements.

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Do I need to create DMPs in InPort (right now)?

Line Offices across NOAA are currently developing plans and processes for how they will implement and fulfill data management planning requirements. With respect to InPort, most line offices plan to rollout usage of InPort across the organization in stages.

Consequently, while all users are welcome to explore the DMP functionality available within InPort at any time, we highly recommend that DMP authors coordinate with their respective line office representatives to understand their specific organizational requirements, expectations, and implementation schedule.

NMFS Users
NMFS users should reach out to their regional data governance officer for further guidance. Please consult this document to determine who your data governance officer is.

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What's happening to the DMP export functionality for Data Sets?

Existing InPort users may be aware that InPort has already been indirectly supporting the generation of DMPs via Data Set metadata. Although this functionality is still available and visible in InPort, it is now deprecated, and will eventually be removed. As a result, users who have been generating DMPs through their Data Sets should use the new dedicated DMP Catalog Item type going forward.

Within the next few months, we also plan to support exporting legacy DMP information from an existing Data Set into the new DMP Catalog Item. Please keep in mind that the conversion will not be 1 to 1, as there are significant differences between the old version of the DMP template and the latest version. However, this should help users to more efficiently transition to the new DMP system.

Deprecated DMP features will not be removed until the conversion functionality is released and available for a transitional period of time.

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Creating DMPs in InPort

In InPort, each Line Office consists of Organizations (usually corresponding to the Program Office level), and each Organization has its own Library, which is a hierarchical catalog of InPort records. InPort records are referred to as Catalog Items, each of which has one of the following types:

  • Data Management Plan (DMP)
  • Data Set (DS)
  • Document (DOC)
  • Entity (ENT)
  • Project (PRJ)
  • Publication (PUB)
  • Procedure (PRC)

DMPs must be created within your organization's Library hierarchy. To view this hierarchy:

  • Login to InPort.
  • In the top navigation menu, click on your Line Office.
  • In the list, find the Organization (e.g. Program Office) that the DMP falls under, and click on the corresponding Library link.

You should now see the Catalog Hierarchy page for the Organization's Library.

At this time, DMPs can only be created under Projects. DMPs cannot be created directly under the root Library Item or under other Catalog Item Types besides Projects. If your organization publishes other metadata records in InPort such as Data Sets, you may consider creating your DMPs in the same general area as the Data Set, Project or Program that the Data Set belongs to. We recommend coordinating with your InPort Librarian to determine a consistent place for DMPs across your organization.

To create a new DMP in the hierarchy:

  • Click on the Project where you want to create the DMP. A panel should appear on the right sidebar with a number of actions you can take.
  • Click on the Add Child Item link.
    Note: You must have an Author or higher role to create DMPs. If you do not have sufficient privileges, the Add Child Item option will not appear. See the Roles Help Guide for more information.
  • You should be on the Add Child Item page now.
  • Select "Data Management Plan" for the Catalog Item Type and provide a Title.
  • Leave the Clone from Cat ID field blank (this allows a new DMP to be created and copied from an existing DMP).
  • Click on the Create button.

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Viewing/Editing DMPs

DMPs can be viewed in InPort by navigating to them within a Library's Catalog Hierarchy or from the DMP Dashboard.

Default View

The default view displays DMP information with tabs for quick access to the different sections of the plan. This view is also what is displayed publicly on the InPort website when a DMP is published.

The sections in the DMP are based on the NOAA DMP Template, but were further expanded in order to divide up a few of the particularly large sections. All fields which have been populated, or which are required for ACDO Approval, will be displayed in the default view. Optional fields will only be displayed if a response was provided.

If you have an Author or higher role for the DMP, you can edit any section of the DMP from the Default View, by selecting the section tab and clicking the Edit button. Note that depending on your role, DMPs may not be editable in certain workflow states (for example, Authors can only edit DMPs in Draft state).

DMP Document View

The DMP Document view displays the entire DMP on a single page, using the same format as the NOAA DMP Template. Unlike the Default View, the Document View will display all questions/fields in the NOAA DMP Template, regardless of whether or not a response has been provided.

In addition, an error message will be shown for each field that is required for ACDO approval, but where a response has not been provided. Consequently, DMP authors should use the DMP Document view to quickly verify that their DMP is complete, prior to submitting for ACDO approval.

To access the DMP Document View:

  • Navigate to the desired DMP from the Library Catalog Hierarchy or from the DMP Dashboard.
  • In the secondary navigation menu (found directly above the section tabs), click on View As > DMP Document.

DMP PDF Export

The DMP PDF Export feature allows you to download a DMP as a PDF file, using the same format as the NOAA DMP Template. It contains all questions/fields in the NOAA DMP Template, regardless of whether or not a response has been provided.

However, unlike the DMP Document view, required fields which are missing a response will be displayed blank, and will not include any error messages. If you wish to check your DMP for missing information, please use the DMP Document View.

To export a DMP as a PDF:

  • Navigate to the desired DMP from the Library Catalog Hierarchy or from the DMP Dashboard.
  • In the secondary navigation menu (found directly above the section tabs), click on View As > PDF.

Comparison Table of Views

Default DMP Document DMP PDF
Display Style Tabbed Single Page Single Page
Format Webpage Webpage PDF
Fields Displayed Required + Populated Optional Fields All Fields All Fields
Errors Displayed for Missing Required Fields No Yes No

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DMP Workflow

Catalog Items in InPort follow a standard workflow to facilitate review, approval, and publication:

Standard Workflow
• Draft
→ Review / Revise
→ Approved
→ Published

DMPs, however, have an additional step in the workflow, since approval is needed at 2 different levels -- the organizational level (e.g. a Program Office), and the Line Office level:

DMP Workflow
• Draft
→ Review / Revise
→ Approved
→ ACDO Approved
→ Published

The first Approval step is performed by an InPort user with a Publisher or higher role for the Organization that the DMP is created under. However, the ACDO Approval step can only be performed by an InPort user with an ACDO role in that Line Office. In addition, these approvals must take place in order -- i.e. the DMP must first be approved by the Organization, after which it can be submitted for ACDO approval.

Once a DMP has been approved by an ACDO, the Organization can publish the DMP, at which point the DMP is available publicly.

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Roles for Managing DMPs

The ability to edit, approve, and publish DMPs depends on the role(s) that you have been assigned. Roles are typically set by your organization's Librarian. Please consult the InPort Roles Help Guide for an overview of the role system.

Roles provide the following privileges for DMPs:

Privilege Reader Author Publisher Librarian ACDO
View Unpublished DMPs X X X X X
Create/Edit DMPs X X X X
Approve for Organization X X X X
Approve for Line Office
(ACDO Approval) 		X
Publish DMPs X X X X

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DMP Reporting

The InPort team is currently working with stakeholders to determine DMP reporting requirements and features.

As of Release 6.0.0, a basic Line Office DMP Dashboard has been provided, which displays all DMPs across an individual Line Office, grouped by InPort Organization.

To view the Dashboard:

  • Login to InPort.
  • Find the navigation menu labelled DMP.
  • Under that menu, select your Line Office.

Note: You must have an assigned role under at least one of the Organizations in the Line Office to see unpublished DMPs in the dashboard.

This dashboard and other reporting features will be expanded in future releases, however we welcome any feedback or requests in the meantime.

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