Preservation Policies

flattenedFauna is committed to permanently storing and making available deposited datasets. The following policies and practices are designed to ensure the security and preservation of data as well as the longevity of the repository itself.

Dataset Integrity

Checksums for every dataset and its accompanying metadata are created using the MD5 algorithm. Stored datasets are checked for fixity every six months. In the case of corruption, a clean, backed-up copy of the dataset is substituted and the cause of corruption is investigated. In the extremely rare case that a dataset has no replacement, fF curators will use the original submission files to recreate the dataset.

Depositor responsibility

Depositing organizations are strongly encouraged to maintain a backup copy of their raw data, according to LOCKSS principles (Lots of Copies Keeps Stuff Safe). Organizations are encouraged to notify flattenedFauna if the contact for the dataset changes or becomes unavailable.

Removal of Data

flattenedFauna reserves the right to remove published datasets from public access after notifying the depositor. A removed dataset’s metadata remains accessible within the repository along with an explanation of why the data is not available. Removal may occur for a variety of reasons including but not limited to:

• Discovery of information related to protected species within the dataset.

• Evidence of inadequate deposition rights of the depositor.

• Evidence of systematic inaccuracies within the data.

A depositor may petition flattenedFauna to have the dataset restored after a review and consultation with appropriate third parties.

A depositor may petition to have a dataset removed by contacting the data curator providing rationale for removal. This is necessary to annotate the metadata, which will remain available.

Storage

flattenedFauna stores data with Amazon Web Services (AWS) Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2). The repository is regularly backed up both on AWS and an on-premises server using AWS Hybrid backup.

Repository Backup

If flattenedFauna ever ceases to exist, all datasets and metadata stored in the repository will be transferred to a static repository on Zenodo or similar service.