Data Management & Permanent Access to Digital Research Resources : learning from DANS Institute
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DANS institute encourages researchers to make their digital research data and related outputs FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable), open if possible, and protected where necessary. Quality of DANS infrastructure is recognized by Data Seal of Approval (DSA), World Data System (ICSU-WDS), and Nestor Seal. DANS's activities are centred around 3 core services: Data Archiving, Data Reusing and Training & Consultancy.
DANS is …a service institute - of the Dutch Academy KNAW and funding organisation NWO - , which promotes sustained access to digital research data. For this purpose, DANS encourages scientific researchers to archive and reuse data in a sustainable manner, by storing their data in a trustworthy repository such as its online archiving system EASY. Moreover, DANS carries out research into sustained access to digital information. Driven by data, DANS ensures that access to digital research data keeps improving, through its services and participating in (inter)national projects, networks and research. For example, in 2016 INRIA - the French National Institute for computer science and applied mathematics, promoting “scientific excellence for technology transfer and society”-, officially announced the collaboration with DANS with the launch of the Software Heritage website to create a publicly accessible Universal Software Archive. This project aims to further collect, organise, preserve and make accessible the source code of all open source software, in order to create an infrastructure for society, science and industry. Software Heritage has already collected more than 20 million software projects, archiving more than two and a half billion unique source files. Overall DANS activities contribute to continued innovation of the GLOBAL SCIENTIFIC DATA INFRASTRUCTURE. |
DANS SERVICES FOR SHARING AND REUSING RESEARCH DATA
Datasets collected for a certain research purpose can also contain answers to research questions from very different research in the same or in another research discipline. This is certainly the case for historical data.
Moreover, new insights are gained by combining datasets, which is impossible if the data are not sufficiently described and available.
The availability of research data facilitates the reproduction of research, which is an important condition for science.
In recent years, DANS assisted various universities and institutes in developing research data management policy, in both short and long-term programmes. While being focused on the support and innovation of its services, DANS makes digital information available in
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a sustainable form during the different phases (including data processes – from creation, enrichment and exploitation to analysis) of the research cycle:
Archiving data Depositing your (open access) publications and research data will increase the visibility and findability of your research, for which DANS provides the following services:
Reusing data DANS encourages the reuse of research data (accessible via EASY, NARCIS and DataverseNL) by researchers or other interested parties, and the participation in (inter)national projects that focus on sharing research data. |
DANS & TRAINING
DANS provides training in data management by providing training sessions.
# Essentials 4 Data Support is an introductory course for those who (wish to) support researchers with storing, managing, archiving and sharing their research data. DANS organizes this course together with partners of Research Data Netherlands (RDNL). |
DANS & CONSULTANCY
You can also turn to DANS for expert advice in data management and certification of archives. DANS services are approved by:
- Data Seal of Approval (DSA); DANS has received this seal for EASY (see Assessment Information),
- WDS (see application form),
- Nestor Seal: DANS has received the nestor Seal (see the application form and the report of the second reviewer).
With this experience, DANS is able to coach you in the steps required for your digital repository.
Information managers and other stakeholders can rely on a framework of various international certification standards for digital repositories in order to assess and improve the quality of their work processes and management systems. ‘Trustworthy Digital Repository’ (TDR) is a term often used in this respect. Three certification instruments, with increasing degrees of complexity and depth, are available:
The assessments vary in intensity from a peer review of completed documentation (self-assessment) in the case of DSA to a prepared on-site visit by an external audit team in the case of ISO. These instruments are mainly used in Europe. Outside Europe, many repositories receive International Council for Science - World Data System (ICSU-WDS*) certification, which is similar to DSA certification. Data sponsors, producers and re-users may trust any managing body that has been certified according to one of the above standards. |
@DANSKNAW also shares its knowledge by speaking at events, organizing various communications and supporting researchers.
If you would like further information about DANS activities, please contact DANS at [email protected]
*@ICSU_WDS started to create a Network of Early Career Researchers and Young Scientists. Want to join? https://www.icsu-wds.org
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Related content:
- Data lifecycle according to the UK Data Archive
- Data lifecycle according to the DCC Curation
- Guidelines for Data Management Plan from SNSF : learning from each other
- Göttingen eResearch Alliance about eResearch related questions and Data Management issues
- Towards Trusted Digital Repositories : accessing, sharing and using quality data
- European Open Science Cloud
- Data management: A global coalition to sustain core data
