SND has developed a new function on Researchdata.se to preview files containing open data. The preview function makes it easier for researchers to assess in greater detail what the data contain and how they can be reused.
The project was initiated with the help of SND’s former interns, David Arngren and Elise Rochaix, during their internship from October 2025 to January 2026. The function was then further developed within the IT section and is now being launched fully in the research data catalogue on Researchdata.se.
“This is a service that Zenodo and other repositories offer, and we wanted to give our users the same possibility to preview different types of files. Previously, you could preview images and videos in the catalogue, but we have now expanded this to include significantly more file types,” says Olof Olsson, IT architect at SND.
In addition to images and videos, users can now take a closer look at files such as ZIP, CSV, audio, text, PDF, and GeoJSON without downloading them. There are also plans to expand the range of file formats available for preview.
“It is very helpful for researchers and other interested users to not have to download material in order to assess whether it is relevant. This is particularly important for very large ZIP files, which we can now preview with an index of their contents,” says Tobias Linde, system developer at SND.
The file formats currently in focus for further development are those that SND and other repositories and archives recommend as standard formats for research data.
“Hopefully, the expanded preview options will also encourage those who share data to make greater use of these formats,” says Olof Olsson.