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What are resources?

The term resources can have many different meanings. In general, it can be said that resources summarize all the means that are necessary to achieve a specific goal. Since Coscine uses the term resource to refer to all IT services associated with a project, such as the provision of storage space, the focus in this informational text will tend to be on that. The general definition of the term is reflected in Coscine by the fact that certain resources (e.g., storage space) are necessary to plan and execute a project according to the FAIR criteria and to make it reusable in the long term.

What are the differences between the various resources?

There are different types of resources that are distinguished, such as natural resources, which include, for example, plants of all kinds or raw materials, such as gold or lignite. In addition, there are vital resources that are needed for survival, so that these include air and food. All resources have in common that a conscious handling should take place with it. A waste of resources should not only be avoided in the case of natural resources, but should be observed as best as possible in the case of all types. Otherwise, a shortage of resources can occur and since resources serve to achieve a goal, in the worst case it can contribute to a delay or non-achievement of a goal.

What does a sensible use of resources look like?

In Coscine, a certain amount of resources are freely available, such as the use of GitLab and LinkedData for storing research data and metadata. However, there are also resource types (all RDS-related resource types) that are only available in limited quantities or after filling out an appropriate request. The reason for this is that resource types are not available in unlimited quantities and instead must be used in a deliberate manner. In order to avoid wasting resources, researchers must think in advance about how many resources of which type are needed for a project. To ensure a fair distribution of the available resources to all, there is therefore a review process of the corresponding applications and an objective assessment.