# SODA - Desktop Software to Enhance the SPARC Data Curation Workflow

> **NIH NIH OT2** · CALIFORNIA MEDICAL INNOVATIONS INSTITUTE · 2022 · $507,896

## Abstract

As science is becoming data-intensive and collaborative, data sharing and reusing are becoming
increasingly important for rapid discovery and innovation. While sharing is as easy as few clicks
in this era of digital data, reusing is difficult unless some strict data curation standards are
followed. To address this issue, curation guidelines are provided to all SPARC funded researchers
for organizing and sharing their datasets such that researchers who were not directly involved in
data collection and analysis can rapidly understand and work with the data, as promoted by the
FAIR principles. Complying with these guidelines, however, requires additional time investment
from the researchers and is subject to human error. The data curation process could thus become
time-consuming and overwhelming as more and more data is generated and, eventually, steer
the focus away from data collection and analysis. The objective of this project is to continue the
development of SODA (Software for Organizing Data Automatically), the software being
developed to assist SPARC funded researchers in curating their datasets. Distributed as an opensource
and cross-platform desktop application, the goal of SODA is to bridge a long-standing,
overlooked gap between comprehensive data standards and their convenient application by
researchers. This is achieved by providing an interactive interface that, without requiring any
coding knowledge, walks SPARC researchers step-by-step through the data curation process, all
the while automating repetitive, complex, and time-consuming tasks. During this phase of
development, six new features will be added to SODA: 1) Full file organization interface with
lower-level folder support; 2) Collaborative data curation; 3) In-app updating; 4) Enhanced support
for generating metadata files; 5) Enhanced dataset validator; 6) File-level curation support. The
proposed project is very significant for its potential to simplify and enhance the SPARC data
curation process. Computer-assisted data curation will not only reduce the time required by
researchers to organize their data but also minimize – if not eliminate – human error. The resulting
rapid dissemination of SPARC data will enhance SPARC’s mission of accelerating the
development of therapeutic devices that modulate electrical activity in nerves to improve organ
function.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10679535
- **Project number:** 3OT2OD030213-01S2
- **Recipient organization:** CALIFORNIA MEDICAL INNOVATIONS INSTITUTE
- **Principal Investigator:** Bhavesh Patel
- **Activity code:** OT2 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $507,896
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2020-09-01 → 2023-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10679535

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10679535, SODA - Desktop Software to Enhance the SPARC Data Curation Workflow (3OT2OD030213-01S2). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10679535. Licensed CC0.

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