Contributing Data

Contributed Digital Products (CDPs): Definition and Guidelines

What is a Contributed Digital Product (CDP)?

A Contributed Digital Product (CDP) is a digital representation of data or research findings related to semiconductor technology, submitted by contributors originating outside of NIST that partner with the NIST CHIPS Metrology program. This data may include a wide array of research results, calibrated datasets, or other relevant digital artifacts. Currently, these contributions are facilitated through research collaboration with CHIPS Metrology Grand Challenge (GC) project efforts. However, the long term goal of METIS is to enable a directed secure submission of a dataset for preservation, publication and broader dissemination through the METIS data repository Discovery Portal. This form of CDP will include attribution to CHIPS Metrology external collaborators in the form of a DOI with authored citation and provide access to the CDP stemming from their work.

What Constitutes a Product?

In this context, a product refers to any digital data or research output that adheres to our established guidelines. This includes ensuring the data is structured correctly and is accompanied by the necessary documentation. To streamline this process, METIS will provide a checklist in a future release which details the criteria for acceptable data products.

Guidance and Requirements for CDPs

What is Allowed?

Contributions are currently welcomed through partnership with the CHIPS Metrology program. METIS will accept products from sources associated with GC project teams. In partnership with CHIPS R&D program areas and standards development efforts, METIS will work toward developing an interoperable model to facilitate exchange of digital assets with CHIPS R&D organizations such as CHIPS Manufacturing USA, the National Semiconductor Technology Center, and the National Advanced Packaging Manufacturing Program.

Digital Formats

METIS requires that all contributed products adhere to best practice and a well-formed structured digital format. Scholarly description and references to manuscripts are strongly encouraged. Guidance and criteria for METIS submission formats will be forthcoming. METIS aspires to develop a robust understanding of the digital asset through digital metrology principles (traceability, provenance, and verification). These aspects of METIS are central to the NIST metrology mission. FAIR data principles are key goals —Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable, thus, we recommend following standards where possible and shared best practices for optimal usability of CDPs.

Packaging of Products

When preparing a submission package, ensure it includes thorough documentation and is classified appropriately for METIS ingest tools. The submission process involves vetting and reviewing the data quality, security, verifying software, and confirming ownership, which includes maintaining data integrity through checksums and tracking provenance. These steps are also vital for ensuring the reliability and usability of the CDPs.

Roles for Managing the Pipeline

Users will interact with METIS ingest processes through various tools and methods. We plan to offer multiple options for submission to accommodate different needs. For internal collaboration CDP (prepublication working data),  collaborative efforts will strive for traceability, completeness, and best practices,  including descriptive documentation such as a README file. We expect and are working to secure digital product ingest via authentication and authorization to commonly secured and group restricted platforms such as Box, Google Drive, AWS S3, and Globus. Currently the METIS team is supporting CDP on a case-by-case basis, in coordination with CHIPS Metrology technical partnership agreements. More detailed guidance on submission procedures and generalized workflow orchestration will be provided to facilitate a smooth process.