ENVRI-FAIR D5.7: ENVRI-Hub design study

The ENVRI-Hub design study contains the analysis of the technical preconditions for the successful implementation of the design ENVRI-Hub as a centralised access interface to environmental data and services building upon the increase of FAIRness achieved in the ENVRI-FAIR project; it will be based on the validation results from WP7 and Task T5.4, and the achievements in the subdomain implementation work packages WP8-11 of this project.

The design of the ENVRI-Hub started as a multifaceted initiative that brought together engineers, scientists, and managers to create a collaborative platform for environmental research and innovation, aiming at advancing environmental research in Europe. As a web platform, the ENVRI-Hub can provide access to environmental data and services offered by the European environmental Research Infrastructures. The data and services provided by the ENVRIs cover four domains of the Earth system, Atmosphere, Ocean, Solid Earth, and Biodiversity-Ecosystems. The ENVRI-Hub intends to facilitate multi-and-inter-disciplinary environmental research by making the data and services interoperable across the domains and easy to use by anyone in the ENVRI community. From different perspectives, depending on the role and interest of the user, the ENVRI-Hub encompasses various aspects, including technical considerations, scientific content, usability, and strategic management. This document describes the process of designing the ENVRI-Hub during the ENVRI-FAIR project, highlighting the key challenges and achievements as well as the potential of an operational ENVRI-Hub in the future.