2026-10-27 –, Naturalis 02
Do your researchers struggle with complex metadata schemas, PID types or scheme-URIs when submitting metadata? With ELMO, the new web editor from GFZ Data Services, they can simply fill in an easy-to-use online form, similar to Google Forms, and generate rich, FAIR, descriptive metadata for data publications at the same time.
In this talk, you will learn about:
How the functionalities of ELMO, specifically ORCID preloading, ROR autocompletion and guided controlled vocabularies help minimize errors and curation effort
How 'PID magic' happens in the background, with automatic recognition of DOIs, IGSNs and ARKs as related identifiers
How ELMO makes PID use a natural part of metadata entry and delivering valid DataCite 4.7 XML
Your takeaway: a concrete example of a user-centred metadata tool that is already in daily use at GFZ Data Services, providing researchers with real added value through the use of PIDs.
Submitting research data to domain repositories often overwhelms researchers with complex metadata schemas, unfamiliar PID systems, and technical details like scheme URIs or identifier types. This leads to incomplete or incorrect persistent identifiers – despite their crucial role in data discoverability and linking. ELMO (Enhanced Laboratory Metadata Organizer), the new web-based metadata editor from GFZ Data Services, solves this by hiding technical complexity while delivering immediate benefits from PID use.
ELMO offers a tailored, intuitive interface that shows only researcher-relevant fields – as simple as any online form. Behind the scenes, it automatically handles PID types, scheme URIs and identifier schemas to produce valid DataCite 4.7 XML files ready for GFZ curators. These include ORCIDs for authors/contributors, ROR IDs for affiliations/funders, SPDX identifiers for licenses, and – as a recent update – instrument identifiers via PIDINST lookup using the B2INST3 API.
ELMO's "premium features" make PIDs genuinely helpful: Enter an ORCID and ELMO preloads the person's details from the ORCID API (fields remain editable), saving time while encouraging profile maintenance. ROR autocomplete helps select institutions/funders effortlessly. In "related works," ELMO auto-detects entered PIDs (DOI, Handle, ARK, PID4INST) and sets the correct identifier type – no PID expertise needed. Controlled vocabularies (GCMD keywords, geoscience terms) guide consistent entry, and all PID sources update automatically via APIs without per-entry calls.
Software Developer @ GFZ Data Services