This article describes the paradigm shift in data science over the last 30 years and the transition from small to big data using the example of environmental research at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ. It discusses challenges, lessons learned from the past and management approaches that may also be suitable for other scientific fields in order to derive greater benefit from big data.

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Conclusion

The transition from small data to big data is an ongoing transformation process that has taken place over the past two decades, sometimes subtly evolving, sometimes deliberately engineered. In the paragraphs below the key lessons learned from this process regarding the five challenges for managing the big data scientific world from the perspective of the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research are summarized. (…)

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Dr. rer. pol. Frank Messner is an economist, head of the staff unit Center Development and Scientific Controlling and authorized signatory of the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research.

Dr. rer. nat. Dagmar Rosenow is deputy head of the staff unit Center Development and Scientific Controlling at the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research and as a geophysicist she is involved with the Research Unit “Smart Models and Monitoring” including the field of research data management.

Dr. agr. Steffen Zacharias is a soil hydrologist and coordinates the UFZ‘s TERENO observatory “Harz/Central German Lowlands.”

Dr.-Ing. Jan Bumberger is the scientific coordinator of research data management at the UFZ, is co-head of the DataHub in the Research Field Earth and Environment of the Helmholtz Association and strategically coordinates the development of the cyberinfrastructure of the eLTER Research Infrastructure.