Create a new parent package

In some cases, a parent package already exists. Search the ADC for the NSF award number to see if there are already exisiting packages. Parents usually have a UUID rather than a DOI and often start with a title like “Collaborative research:”, but not always. More typically, you will need to create a new parent by editing the existing metadata. The parent package should contain a generalized summary for the metadata of each of its childs.

To create a new parent, you will need to:

1. Create parent metadata. It’s often easiest to start with a child’s metadata and generalize them.
   • Abstract/title: Remove dates and other details that are specific to the child package. Sometimes the NSF award abstract/ title will work.
   • Data tables/other entities: Generally, top-level parents do not include data objects, so these sections can be removed.
   • Geographic coverage: Expand to include geographic coverage of all childs, if needed.
   • Temporal coverage: Expand to include temporal ranges of all childs, if needed. If the study is ongoing, include the most recent end date; the parent can be updated when additional childs are added.
   • Methods: Often not needed, but may be included if all childs use the same methods.
2. Publish the parent metadata to the member node (ADC) using publish_object().
3. Create a resource map to link the parent and childs together using create_resource_map() and the child_pids argument.

Make sure you use the childs’ resource map PIDs when you create the resource map! If you forgot to do so, consult Jeanette for help fixing it.