NMDC Community members put mobile metadata management to the test

This is a two-part series highlighting two NMDC Community members who provided beta-testing and user research feedback for the Field Notes mobile app. Given the diverse needs of the research community across many different sampling environments, researcher feedback was an instrumental part of developing our app. Two of our developers spoke about how they incorporated user feedback during the development process:

“Being able to talk to potential users at the outset of our design process was invaluable. As a software developer, I don’t personally have the experience of working in the field and the unique challenges that come with it. But user research made it clear that things like offline support and streamlined data entry would be crucial for an application like Field Notes to be successful.” -Patrick Kalita, LBNL, Software Engineer

“User feedback helped us learn about the environments the app might be used in. For example, one of the researchers we interviewed told us that she used to collect biosamples on a boat, sometimes at night. That led to us thinking about a few features the app might have; specifically, offline mode and dark mode.” -Eric Cavanna, LBNL, Software Engineer

Read more below to learn how our community members’ field research experiences contributed insights to shape Field Notes for data management on-the-go:

Thomas Pitot (Published April 28, 2025)

Thomas Pitot is in the final stages of his Ph.D. program at Université Laval in Québec City, Québec, currently preparing to defend this summer! He is an oceanographer by training but considers himself a microbial ecologist and bioinformatician. Thomas has extensive field research experience and has sampled from Arctic lake environments along the northern coast of Canada in the Last Ice Area (LIA). This region serves as a critical refuge for ice-dependent species and acts as a buffer zone for both marine and inland ecosystems. His research interests are to describe environmental microbiomes, explore microbial and viral interactions, and investigate the biogeochemical coupling under environmental pressures occurring in these lakes. He believes that FAIR data and open science are essential for supporting the fast-evolving field of microbiome research by facilitating collaboration across multidisciplinary labs and institutions, and by promoting transparency and reproducibility.

Thomas filtering water to capture most of the microbial community on a 0.22 µm filter. Credit: Thomas M. Pitot

What field research have you participated in?

Throughout my Ph.D., I participated in numerous field research campaigns in both the Canadian sub-Arctic and High Arctic, during both summer and winter seasons. However, my primary research interest and focus have been in the Last Ice Area, along the northern coast of Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada. There, I worked with a multidisciplinary team to sample and characterize the microbiology and biochemistry of polar lake water columns. Our focus is to understand the links between microbial communities and the biogeochemical responses of these aquatic environments to ongoing environmental change.

Do you have any good stories about your sampling trips? Or any nightmare stories where fieldwork was particularly challenging?

Fieldwork in extremely remote areas naturally leads to unforgettable stories. Some of the most meaningful include discovering breathtaking environments, unique ecosystems, and polar biota, as well as spending time with Inuit guides who generously share their knowledge, stories, and support while we work in their territories. Of course, polar fieldwork also comes with its challenges: unexpected adventures, cross-team collaborations, temperamental equipment, and long evenings in the lab are all part of the experience. And then there’s the weather! Unpredictable conditions can shut down an entire mission. In 2022, for example, some of us had to remain in the field for a couple of extra days when lift-outs became impossible due to dense fog.

View from the airplane of Ward Hunt Lake and Ward Hunt Island. Credit: Thomas M. Pitot

How do you typically collect and store your metadata during field sampling?

In the North, we’re never alone. Teams usually consist of at least three people. This setup is especially helpful for collecting metadata. While one person is sampling and another is on bear watch, the third can focus on collecting metadata from the site. Most of the time, metadata is written in a waterproof field notebook, photographed with a cellphone, and later transcribed into an Excel sheet back at base camp.

Once you get back to the lab, how do you retrieve the metadata collected in the field, and what are the next steps typically (e.g., data curation, sharing with team)?

Personally, I like to sit down and reorganize all the metadata into a final table where I can add notes and fill in any missing entries that might have been skipped or rushed in the field for various reasons. That’s often the time to start texting colleagues, asking for photos of the missing parts. Once all clean and complete, metadata are shared and often made common between involved labs.

What are your favorite tips for data management out in the field?

Pro tip: always photograph your own notebook and your teammates’ too, if possible. It can really save you later!

Sleeping tents and Lab tent at the base camp on Thores lake shores. Credit: Catherine Girard

Why did you participate in Field Notes user research and beta testing?

Even though we do not and should not depend on our cellphones out in the field, the truth is that I don’t know many people that do not take their cellphones with them while sampling, in this situation, better use these powerful devices as a tool for our work and that is what the Field Notes app does in my opinion. I was especially eager to participate in the beta testing to test the offline mode!

How do you see Field Notes contributing to microbiome research?

I genuinely think the Field Notes app is a great tool to streamline both metadata collection and management. The use of NMDC metadata standards, along with the app’s built-in auto validation, helps users capture more complete and consistent metadata, including some that are often overlooked or omitted. As the app and its standards become more widely adopted, I believe it will lead to greater collaboration, enable large-scale studies, and promote FAIR data reuse, all of which will significantly advance microbiome research.

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