In-depth examination of spatio-temporal figures in open reproducible research

Konkol M, Kray C

Abstract

Figures such as maps and time series are essential means to visualize spatio-temporal results in scienti c papers. Being able to recompute them using the underlying source code and data is thus a core aspect in reproducible research. However, many scien- tists see the preparation of code and data for publication as an additional burden without immediate bene ts. In this work, we investigate advantages and new capa- bilities of reproducible research papers. Our key contributions are (i) the extension of a geoscientist's work ow while examining papers including reproducible figures such as maps and (ii) the prototypical implementation of the work ow as a web application. The work ow is based on current practices of geoscientists and encapsulates bene ts of reproducible figures. It is informed by ideas and needs identified by geoscientists in a survey, interviews, and a focus group. Based on their statements, we first extend the traditional work ow steps Discovery and Inspection by additional capabilities and propose two new steps: Manipulation of the content of a spatio-temporal figure and Substitution of the underlying code and data. The extended work ow and its implementation might facilitate in-depth examination and reusability of geoscientific results.

Projects the publication originates from