Short Communication: The need for open-source hardware, software, and data-sharing specifications in geomorphology

Abstract

Geomorphologists have more data and computational resources available than ever before. Collaboration between researchers specializing in different modes of inquiry (e.g. numerical, experimental, and fieldbased) often accelerates impactful scientific insights, but tools to facilitate these collaborations are lacking. In this article, we present four challenges to collaboration in the geomorphology community, and provide a framework that addresses these challenges to enable research utilizing the full extent of data and computational resources available today. We report a component of this framework, a newly developed specification for a shareable data schema called sandsuet. The schema is designed to accommodate most kinds of rasterized geomorphology data, and makes it easy to package, publish, and share those data. Finally, we present possibilities for community development of resources to address other challenges to collaboration in geomorphology.