Sustaining Domain Repositories for Digital Data

TitleSustaining Domain Repositories for Digital Data
Publication TypeReport
Year of Publication2013
AuthorsEmber, C., & Hanisch R.
Date Published2013///
Keywordsgap_evidence, gap_relationships, sg_data_economics, sg_data_infrastructure, sg_data_repositories, sg_ps
Abstract

The last few years have seen a growing international movement to enhance research transparency, open access to data, and data sharing across the social and natural sciences. Meanwhile, new technologies and scientific innovations are vastly increasing the amount of data produced and the resultant potential for advancing knowledge. Domain repositories — data archives with ties to specific scientific communities — have an indispensable role to play in this changing data ecosystem. With both content-area and digital curation expertise, domain repositories are uniquely capable of ensuring that data and other research products are adequately preserved, enhanced, and made available for replication, collaboration, and cumulative knowledge building. However, the systems currently in place for funding repositories in the US are inadequate for these tasks. Effective and innovative funding models are needed to ensure that research data, so vital to the scientific enterprise, will be available for the future. Funding models also need to assure equal access to data preservation and curation services regardless of the researcher's institutional affiliation. Creating sustainable funding streams requires coordination amongst multiple stakeholders in the scientific, archival, academic, funding, and policy communities.

URLhttp://datacommunity.icpsr.umich.edu/sites/default/files/WhitePaper_ICPSR_SDRDD_121113.pdf

Gap Area Study Type:

High-level Gap Areas:

Measurement Gap Areas:

Purpose: 
Explored the funding challenges faced by domain repositories in the United States
Method: 
Reviewed the different functions of domain repositories, the reuse of data stored in domain repositories, and the issues domain repositories face; reviewed different funding models for domain repositories and scored them based on several criteria