The Environmental and Earth sciences are faced with complex and dynamic challenges: they cannot be solved in isolation from each other or from other sciences, such as the social and health sciences. Researchers who tackle real world challenges must have data that are easy to use and understandable in a variety of contexts. An important element of understanding these data is the use of well-organised, community-accepted terminology for data. With the increasing uptake of the semantic web and the demand for open data, data descriptors of varying quality and technical maturity are proliferating (e.g. ESIP/RDA Earth, Space and Environmental Sciences Interest Group (ESES-IG), Semantic Resource Catalogue, 2021). These range from simple lists, through thesauri and taxonomies, to formalised ontologies. This proliferation can be extremely confusing for the practitioner (data creator or re-user), as there are no agreed criteria to support a selection decision. In addition, the variety of descriptors in the community stunts machine discovery. Elements such as community-endorsement and sustainability of terminology are essential to enable open scientific practice. Session 320 at the Virtual SciDataCon2021 presented seven experts with a range of approaches to effectively using heterogeneous environmental and earth science terms. The speakers discussed several approaches to the use of heterogeneous environmental and earth science terms, and they shared their learned experience of vocabulary implementation, the challenges they have encountered in real-world use, and their various solutions. Seven key points were highlighted in a final wrap-up of the session. After an introduction by Alison Specht (TERN, University of Queensland) on behalf of the organising team of Romain David, Margaret O'Brien, Shelley Stall and Lesley Wyborn), the speakers and their subjects were as follows: Marie Angélique Laporte (Alliance of Biodiversity International and CIAT, Switzerland), Vocabularies: How to link them and what they are-ontology flavour. Siddeswara Guru (TERN, Australia), Semantic challenges in Environmental and Earth vocabularies in Australia for an infrastructure serving a heterogeneous community. Anne-Sophie Archambeau (IRD/UMS PatriNat/ GBIF France), The long history of DarwinCore. Yvan le Bras (PNDB, MNHN, France), Vocabularies for a national biodiversity e-infrastructure. Wim Hugo (SAEON, South Africa, now at the Dutch national centre of expertise and repository for research data, DANS), Challenges and Opportunities - Semantic Interoperability and Developing Countries. Yann Le Franc (FAIRsFAIR), An overview of the FAIRsFAIR project and our work on FAIR Semantics. Barbara Magagna (Environment Agency Austria), Interoperability via the application of the I-ADOPT Framework. Shelley Stall (AGU), provided the session wrap-up.

https://www.scidatacon.org/virtual-2021/sessions/320/