Research and discovery in the natural sciences, particularly for documenting changes in our planet, is empowered by gathering, mining, and reusing observational data. However much of the data required, particularly data from the pre-digital era, are no longer accessible to science. The data are hidden away in investigators’ desks on printed paper records, or are no longer readable as they are on deteriorating or outdated media, and are not documented in a way that makes them re-usable. Special initiatives are required to rescue them and preserve such data so that they can contribute to the scientific debates of today and those of the future. Data rescue efforts are key to making data resources accessible that are at risk of being lost forever when researchers retire or die, or when data formats or storage media are obsolete and unreadable.
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