
GRIIDC says Farewell to the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative

GoMRI Management Team and GRIIDC Program Manager, Rosalie Rossi (middle); Photo credit: Maggie Dannreuther
The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI), was created in response to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster in order to better understand and evaluate the consequences of the oil spill and to be more prepared for the future. GRIIDC was created to manage and store data from research conducted all over the Gulf of Mexico by thousands of scientists resulting in, “one of the single greatest collaborations of Gulf sciences ever,” as Dr. Larry McKinney, then Senior Executive Director of the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies said at the last GOMOSES conference in February, 2020. Thanks to GoMRI emphasizing the value of effective public data sharing and the creation and support of GRIIDC to make it happen, we now have a legacy of data and data sharing that will enable further scientific discovery for years to come. For this we are deeply grateful to GoMRI.
In the past, the Gulf of Mexico was not thought of as particularly economically, ecologically, or even aesthetically important, compared to other major waterbodies, according to Dr. Jack Davis, author of the book The Gulf: The Making of an American Sea. However, because of GoMRI’s enduring commitment and dedication to the best science possible, the Gulf of Mexico is now better understood and more valued than ever before. Thanks to the work of the entire GoMRI community, more of the public has been exposed to the beauty, wonders, and economic importance of the Gulf. There’s no doubt that GoMRI’s commitment to increasing the knowledge of marine oil spill science to the scientific world, as well as the public, has inspired countless people to embrace and explore the Gulf of Mexico.
The solid foundation GoMRI provided has allowed GRIIDC the ability to continue not only as preservationists of GoMRI’s data legacy, but it has also made us one of the most diverse science marine data repositories available. Anyone can access and use the plethora of data generated from GoMRI researchers, as GRIIDC is committed to upholding the FAIR data principles, where data is Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable. Now anyone, whether they be a researcher or a concerned citizen, can visit the GRIIDC website and search through thousands of datasets that are available for download on subjects such as biology, chemistry, physical oceanography, sociology, political science, and public health. Along with GRIIDC, the GoMRI legacy includes about 1,544 publications, 5,432 presentations, and over 2,800 datasets. GoMRI has also funded about 367 post-doctoral researchers, 637 Ph.D.’s, 567 Master’s graduates, and over 1,000 undergraduate/high school students — totaling approximately 4,000 researchers involved with GoMRI!
GRIIDC would like to thank the entire GoMRI team, and particularly those researchers and data managers from the Research Consortia who served on the GRIIDC Advisory Committee and made GoMRI data sharing a success through collaboration. We especially thank the Research Board members on the GoMRI Data Committee who served on the GRIIDC Data Advisory Committee: Dr. Peter Brewer (Co-Chair), Dr. David Halpern (Co-Chair), and Dr. Ken Halanych for their guidance and support throughout our 10-year journey together. Special thanks go to GoMRI Research Board Chair Dr. Rita Colwell, Chief Science Officer Dr. Chuck Wilson, Executive Director Dr. Mike Carron, GoMRI Program Manager Kevin Shaw, and all members of the GoMRI Administrative Unit.
GRIIDC continues to work with GoMRI researchers to finalize their datasets in order to close out grants. As GRIIDC looks to the future, we look forward to working with institutions such as the Mississippi Based RESTORE Act Center of Excellence (MBRACE) program, Texas OneGulf Center of Excellence, Florida RESTORE Act Centers of Excellence Program (FLRACEP), the National Academy of Sciences, Harte Research Institute, NOAA and Texas Parks and Wildlife. We welcome other research institutions and individual researchers to store their data with us!