Electronic lab notebook Kadi4Mat

Kadi4Mat is an innovative electronic laboratory diary management tool developed at the University of Karlsruhe. This system is designed to make it easier to store and manage your research data, ensuring more efficient and organised work in the lab.

The system allows you to store data securely and share it with colleagues. By managing your data in Kadi4Mat, you apply some of the FAIR principles important for long-term data retention and reuse.

Through a web browser, users can easily search, tag and link datasets, making data searchable and accessible.

Enter the system

The Kadi Ecosystem: A Comprehensive RDM Solution

The Kadi ecosystem, with Kadi4Mat at its core, offers an integrated suite of tools designed to support the entire lifecycle of research data. This ecosystem combines functionalities of electronic lab notebooks (ELNs), data repositories, and advanced data analysis tools. It provides a holistic infrastructure that caters to the diverse requirements of scientific and technical disciplines.

Key Components of the Kadi Ecosystem:

• KadiWeb and KadiFS: These interfaces provide intuitive access to the repository. Through web browsers or file managers, users can easily search, tag, and link datasets, making data findable and accessible. The incorporation of dashboards for data visualization and workflow management enhances user experience and operational efficiency.
• KadiStudio: As an ELN 2.0, KadiStudio focuses on automating the research process. It allows users to digitally plan and execute research workflows, integrating user inputs, simulations, and instrumentation control. This automation fosters reproducibility and efficiency, making it easier to manage and reuse data across multiple projects.
• KadiAPI and KadiAPY: These programmatic interfaces support automated interactions between workflows and the repository, facilitating integration with external tools and systems. They ensure interoperability, allowing seamless data exchange and process coordination within and beyond the Kadi ecosystem.
• KadiAI: This component leverages machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance data analysis capabilities. By embedding ML methods into workflows, KadiAI enables the systematic generation of new insights and optimizes research processes. It also documents metadata and data provenance, ensuring that ML projects are reproducible and transparent.

Further information can be found at the website https://kadi.iam.kit.edu/#ecosystem

Login

Log in to the system using Shibboleth and your BUT login and password and start enjoying all the benefits Kadi4Mat has to offer. If you need to give access to your data to colleagues outside the BUT, you need to ask technical support.

Working with the system

Basic video tutorials can be found here: https://www.postlithiumstorage.org/en/data-management/tutorials

Further tutorials and pre-made templates will be made available here or directly in the Kadi4Mat system over time.

Data storage

For data storage, the Kadi4Mat installation at the BUT uses the S3 data object store from CESNET. The S3 service runs on CESNET infrastructure, all data resides on CESNET repositories in the Czech Republic. The total storage capacity is 150 TB, currently the limit is set to 200GB per user. To increase the amount of space you need to ask technical support.

There will be periodic checks of the stored data and users will be asked to check the actuality of the stored data or reduce it if necessary

Due to technical limitations of the S3 storage (but it will soon be resolved), the upload size of individual files is limited now. A single file cannot be larger than 5GB. The system is not a suitable place to store large files. It is advisable to use specific technologies for these files (e.g. Nextcloud, Object Store, ...) and then link the data to the ELN record using a link.

Security

The data repositories are certified according to the standard for information security management system ČSN EN ISO/IEC 27001:2014. CESNET guarantees the operation of the repository in "best effort" mode. More information here, read Warranties and Liability: https://du.cesnet.cz/en/provozni_pravidla/start

Client-side encryption is recommended for sensitive data. It is therefore necessary to encrypt the data before storing it in Kadi4Mat. https://du.cesnet.cz/cs/navody/stehovani_du4_to_object/start

User and technical support

Please send your questions and comments about Kadi4Mat to openscience@vut.cz.

Good practice for implementing ELN in the laboratory

1. The laboratory/project designates a responsible person for the project/laboratory (determines user permissions, ensures data availability after a staff member/student leaves the project/laboratory, removes access, checks database content, creates and maintains templates, maps connections and automation with specific instruments, etc.).
2. The lab/project will ensure robust, standardized and up-to-date templates for the type of experiment or automation for working with a specific instrument.
3. The lab/project will set up its own workflows, naming of projects, experiment files.
4. The lab/project will provide training for all new users, specifically set up for the lab/project.