Data preservation in pressure measurement

Abstract

Suggestions concerning practical pressure scales are largely focused on the selection of primary calibrants, criteria for candidate reference points and choice of the equations of state. Meanwhile, preserving and archiving data related to pressure measurements need also considerable attention. These data, as well as metadata items, corresponding to the pressure determination method are often missing in publications, making it difficult to assess the soundness of the applied approach and validate the reliability of the results. Even if the relevant information is reported, it can be difficult to track down if buried in the article text or supplementary material. Therefore, only using a consistent standardized format one can conform to the requirements of modern science research data being FAIR, i.e. Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable. Existing data structures can serve as a good starting point, if properly adapted to host specific information related to the pressure measurement. In particular, essential high-pressure data and metadata can be encompassed within Crystallographic Information Framework (CIF), a widely accepted and robust standard file structure for the archiving and distribution of crystallographic information. This review is thus intended to indicate recommendations for data items to be preserved along with the associated measured pressure values.