Digital Data in Biodiversity Research Conference

Our ability to visualize and quantify the internal structures of objects via Computed Tomography (CT) has fundamentally transformed science. Communities utilizing CT are numerous and diverse, with thousands of researchers producing thousands of tomographic datasets annually. The varied objectives of research groups and differing laboratory and data sharing protocols have resulted in a fragmented CT imaging environment across the world. The Non-Clinical Tomography Users Research Network (NoCTURN) is where the science of collecting and interpreting CT data meets the ‘nuts and bolts’ of good policies and best practices that ensure those data remain available and understandable by a broad community. NoCTURN has been working to address barriers to FAIR (Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, Reuse) and open science principles for tomographic data, by leveraging input from a coordination network of more than 100 tomography educators, researchers and industry stakeholders, all gathering regularly to exchange experiences and ideas. Here, we demonstrate how NoCTURN is working to agree upon and aggregate community standards for tomographic data. We develop resources to help our community achieve their tomographic goals and facilitate the broader use of CT data among non-scientists. We share some of those resources, and highlight the benefits of working in a far-reaching coordination network.