Dump Things Service: Backend Metadata Storage and API
Dump Things Service is an open-source API implementation that enables storage and retrieval of structured (meta)data.
Dump Things Service provides authenticated HTTP-based interfaces for storing, retrieving and curating records according to predefined schemas; in particular, it supports schemas based on DataLad’s Thing schema. Dump Things Service automatically generates collection-specific endpoints from these shared (meta)data models, enabling reusability across projects and domains without the need for custom database designs and APIs for each application.
Within the ABCD-J platform, Dump Things Service acts as the central persistence layer for research metadata. A key feature of the service is the separation between incoming and curated information. Data can be submitted through token-based workflows and subsequently reviewed, enriched or harmonized before being incorporated into curated public or private collections, enabling collaborative (meta)data management while maintaining data quality and provenance.
Case study - Metadata pooling for the TRR379 research consortium
Within the ABCD-J context, we have developed a (meta)data management approach that enables collaborative, model-driven collection and reuse of research information across distributed sites and projects.