The UWS Research Data Repository is being built and rolled out starting in mid 2012. It will be managed, backed-up service for researchers to store digital data, from working data that is changing and being actively used to archival data that can be used to support the published findings, comply with legal, ethical and funder requirements for data retention and serve as a platform for data re-use. The Office of Research Services will assist researchers is planning to use the RDR throughout their research projects, helping to improve the quality and reach of UWS research, and aiding researchers in complying with grant-funder requirements around open access to publications and data.

There are two key components to the repository.

1. The Research Data Store (RDS) is the storage component of the service, this will be managed by Information Technology Services (ITS), with support via self-service options for simple storage needs, and via the Service Desk for more complex requirements.

   The RDS will be designed to be easy to access for researchers from all disciplines via standard services that suit the researchers involved, such as shared drives (the ‘R’ drive for research), Dropbox-like services for easy data sharing, and more sophisticated connections to research infrastructure such as version control systems, databases, and discipline specific data management applications.

   Included in this component are all the maintenance processes and hardware support required to manage availability of the data, keeping it private when needed and making it publicly available whenever possible.

2. The Research Data Catalogue, managed by the UWS Library, will keep track of the data in the storage service and prevent the all too common problem of storage filling up, with no documentation about what all the data is for. The catalogue will keep track of how long data should be kept, how it can be reused, and advertise appropriate data for re-use both within UWS and with potential collaborators.

The RDR project is important to researchers because it will:

• Provide much-needed data security in a centrally managed way (no more will researchers be forced into disk drives and being responsible for backups).

• Make compliance with national, university and funder requirements for data as easy and painless as possible.

• Allow researchers to advertise and optionally publish their data for re-use and citation by collaborators.

The Research Data Repository project is the flagship eResearch project for 2012/2013. Read the project intro.

Complete list of posts relating to the RDR:

• 4A Data Management Acquiring, Acting-on, Archiving & Advertising research data at the University of Western Sydney (7/24/2013)
• Seeding the Commons Data Sharing Project Complete. (5/10/2013)
• An Australian Research Data Repository (2/29/2012)
• Climate Change and Energy Research – Intersect eResearch Project Summary (3/2/2012)
• Connecting Data Capture applications to Research Data Catalogues/Registries/Stores (8/6/2012)
• eResearch projects, quick update (4/8/2013)
• eResearch Tools day. Is CKAN aDORAble? (8/21/2014)
• Examples of the growing eResearch Infrastructure at UWS (11/15/2012)
• Mixing our Research Data Metaphors: Seeding the commons, capturing data & taming ‘wild’ research data (3/16/2012)
• Potential Research Data Repository data-management use-cases. For discussion. (8/17/2012)
• Research Data Repository (RDR) progress report, May 2013 (5/9/2013)
• Research Data Repository June Update (6/4/2012)
• Research Data Repository Services Delivered in Stage One (7/30/2013)
• Research Data Repository Update – November 2012 (11/14/2012)
• University of Western Sydney Enterprise Research Data Catalogue Project (6/4/2012)