AIRBDS AI-Readiness Dataset Scoring Metric
A practical guide to evaluating bioscience datasets for AI/ML use
Developed by the AIRBDS Working Group, AIBIO-UK · Funded by BBSRC · Licensed CC BY 4.0
Overview
Questions this tutorial answers:
- What does the AIRBDS metric measure, and why does it matter?
- Should I use the CSV (spreadsheet) or YAML (text file) format?
- How do I work through all 28 questions and calculate a grade?
- How do I submit my completed review?
Learning Objectives
By the end of this tutorial, you will be able to:
- Describe what the AIRBDS metric assesses and how it is scored
- Choose the format (CSV or YAML) that suits your technical background
- Complete a full dataset review and assign a grade (Caution / Bronze / Silver / Gold)
- Submit a completed review to the repository
Who this is for: Researchers, data curators, and repository managers working with bioscience datasets
Skill levels covered: Beginner (CSV path) · Intermediate (YAML path)
Estimated time: 30–60 minutes per dataset review
What is the AIRBDS Metric?
The AIRBDS metric is a structured checklist of 28 Yes/No questions that assesses whether a bioscience dataset is ready for use in AI and machine learning workflows. Questions cover four areas:
| Scope | Questions | What it checks |
|---|---|---|
| Infrastructure | ACM-1 – ACM-10 | Access, licensing, unique identifiers, version control |
| Metadata | ACM-11 – ACM-17 | Bias documentation, standards, preprocessing, provenance |
| Content | ACM-18 – ACM-23 | Completeness, consistency, format |
| Ethics | ACM-24 – ACM-28 | Consent, privacy, security, data protection |
Each answer contributes to a weighted score. Datasets receive one of four grades:
| Grade | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 🔴 Caution | Fails one or more Critical criteria — serious limitations for AI/ML use |
| 🟤 Bronze | Passes most Critical questions (≥ 7/8) |
| ⚪ Silver | Passes all Critical + ≥ 50% of Important questions |
| 🟡 Gold | Passes all Critical and Important + ≥ 50% of Optional questions |
How to use this tutorial
Start here → Chapter 1: Getting Started — Choose Your Format
Chapter 1 explains the difference between the CSV and YAML formats and helps you choose the right one based on your experience level. You will then follow either:
- Chapter 2 — CSV walkthrough (beginner, no coding required, Excel or Google Sheets)
- Chapter 3 — YAML walkthrough (intermediate, text editor and command line)
Citation
If you use this metric in your research, please cite:
AIRBDS Working Group, AIBIO-UK. (2025). AIRBDS AI-Readiness Dataset Scoring Metric (v0.3). GitHub. https://github.com/AIBIO-UK/airbds-metric
Full citation metadata is in CITATION.cff.