eResearch

Joint research projects in ecology typically aim to integrate scientific knowledge from various disciplines. This raises the request for collaboration technologies. As ecological research is data-intensive, it requires the management and exchange of large datasets, often with spatial reference. The demand for collaboration, data, and information management tools in science is addressed by the creation of digital service infrastructures, so-called eResearch Infrastructures, which are collections of typically web-based software systems. Here, an example eResearch infrastructure implemented for a joint research project is presented. It is described by the user stories, the derived functional requirements, and their implementation in software systems. This infrastructure followed an open-source paradigm with only two exceptions. Based on the lessons learned, recommendations for the future development of eResearch infrastructures and their embedment in an organizational, project, and scientific framework are derived.