In our 2021-2025 strategy programme ‘Focus on Fair’, we wrote about the significant innovation of our data services. The starting point for this was the considerably different needs per scientific discipline. The nature and sizes of the datasets themselves also varied greatly. “We noticed an increasing need for tailored solutions in the scientific landscape, as well as domain-specific collaboration between scientific institutions. The Data Stations align well with these desires and needs. They enable the secure storage of data in a domain-specific way for the researcher and enrich the data with characteristic metadata, making them even more findable. EASY is an outdated system and does not offer these capabilities,” says Anja Smit, institute director of DANS. EASY will remain online for some time for users to search for datasets. In the course of 2024, EASY will be completely phased out, and depositing and finding data will only be possible via data stations, offering many advantages.
Easy to share, easy to protect
Ease of use is paramount in the data stations. Smit continues: “It is possible to add new versions to an existing dataset: published datasets can be updated, and changes are tracked with version control. There are also tools to fill in information automatically. The data can be offered under all Creative Commons open licences, but it is also possible to protect sensitive (personal) data and determine per dataset whether other users can access the data. If a dataset should only be made available after a certain period of time, it can be stored with an embargo. It is easy to cite datasets and files using EndNote, RIS and BibTex. And logging in is easy with an institutional account via SURFconext or via a Google or Github account. Finally, all deposited datasets are curated by our data team.”
Dataverse software
DANS’ domain-specific data stations use the Dataverse software developed by Harvard University. The software is open source and is continually developed by a large and diverse community. As a result, the data stations are constantly provided with new functionalities, relevant for the various scientific disciplines. Through close cooperation with the community, DANS contributes to the development and improvement of the Dataverse software.
More information
If you would like more information about one of the Data Stations or need assistance depositing datasets, please contact the Data Station Managers, attend our Open Hour, or send an email via our contact form.
