The work to create a new national portal for Swedish research data has now begun in earnest. The portal (researchdata.se) is one of the main objectives of SND’s mission for 2023–2026. It is intended to make it easier for current and future researchers to find, share, and reuse research data.
Thanks to data harvesting from several collaborative partners, researchdata.se will provide a richer search result compared to SND’s current catalogue. Among the organizations already set for harvesting are SciLifeLab, Bolin Centre, SITES (Swedish Infrastructure for Ecosystem Science), and SBDI (Swedish Biodiversity Data Infrastructure). More partners will be added as the project progresses as well as after the portal is launched, which is currently scheduled for early 2025.
Easier to find data
The foundation for the search function in the portal is SND’s research data catalogue and equivalent resources from the other collaborating infrastructures. The search function will include:
- High quality and precision in search results;
- The ability to filter according to the user's information needs;
- An open search API that enables the use of searches for aggregations and overviews;
- Transparency about who is the principle for the data and how to access the data;
- Emphasis on high-quality metadata – this is crucial when access to data is restricted.
SND's own system, DORIS, where researchers can describe and share data, will continue to be the basis for data sharing via researchdata.se. In order to harvest metadata to the search catalogue and create entries for various data repositories, collections, and infrastructures, SND also needs to develop best practice recommendations for metadata. This may involve setting rich metadata through DataCite, OAI-PMH, sitemap.xml, and schema.org.
More training material for researchers
In addition to the search and data sharing functionality for research data, researchdata.se will also focus on training materials for researchers, including pages on data management, legal aspects of research data, and more. The new portal will also feature a calendar of events that are relevant to researchers, not limited to events organized by SND.
Snd.se to focus on research data support and the SND network
SND’s current website snd.gu.se will change its name to snd.se and its content will be developed in parallel with researchdata.se. Once the division into two portals is completed, snd.se will primarily target the local research data support units in the SND network and will provide training opportunities, support tools, and other essential resources for research data support. Snd.se will also continue to serve as a hub for news, events, and other important information relating to the SND consortium and SND network.
The development of the two web portals will be carried out within the framework of two project groups. Both projects will also have specific working and reference groups with representation from, for example, researchers, infrastructure staff, and research data support personnel.