Open research data

Open Research Data

It is all the data collected, observed or produced in the research process with the aim of receiving original scientific findings. Each scientific discipline creates its own research data specific to it. All descriptions of procedures, laboratory field notes or information about experiments can be included in research data.

Open Research Data is data that can be freely used, reused and redistributed, modified and disseminated by anyone.

Open access to research data fits within the Open Science paradigm, situated within a context of ever greater transparency, accessibility and accountability. The main goals of these developments are to lower access barriers to research outputs, to speed up the research process and to increase the quality, integrity and longevity of the scholarly record.

Depending on how or for what purpose it has been produced, we can recognise

Unique data, captured in real time that can't be "recovered", e.g. sensor readings, telemetry data, survey results, observations, images.

Revised datasets, often peer-reviewed, published and selected, e.g. gene sequence databases, census data, chemical structures.

From laboratory equipment, e.g. gene sequences, chromatograms, magnetic field readings, spectroscopy.

Results of data analyses or aggregated from various sources, e.g. databases, 3D models, text and data exploration.

Generated test models examining real or theoretical systems, e.g. climate models, economic models, engineering systems.

5-star Open Data

5-star Open Data implementation scheme. Five icons: first PDF icon marked with one star, second XLS icon marked with two stars, third CSV icon marked with three stars, fourth RDF icon marked with four stars, fifth LOD icon marked with five stars. Icons arranged from left to right, so that the first is lowest and each subsequent icon is higher than the previous one. Extend icons with arrowhead pointing towards the fifth icon.

Source: 5stardata.info/en/

5-star Open Data, is an implementation scheme developed by Tim Berners-Lee, who was one of the pioneers of the Web service and Linked Data.
  1. * make your stuff available on the Web (whatever format) under an open license.
  2. ** make it available as structured data (e.g., Excel instead of image scan of a table).
  3. *** make it available in a non-proprietary open format (e.g., CSV instead of Excel).
  4. **** use URIs to denote things, so that people can point at your stuffe.
  5. ***** link your data to other data to provide context.

More information about 5-star Open Data.