Main Content
Availability and Interoperability
Availability and sufficient interoperability of data are fundamental prerequisites for digitally supported research. In order to achieve this, the HeFDI universities are developing solutions to support active data management, institutional repositories and long-term archiving.
Active data management
HeFDI has reviewed existing services for active data management and, taking into account the demands of scientists, has thus identified gaps for which services are to be developed in the coming years. In addition, several collaborative research centres were supported in acquiring their own projects on information infrastructure for active data management.
Repositories
Since 2019, institutional research data repositories have been offered at three of the participating universities. In repository operation, the HeFDI partners rely on division of labour: The Philipps-Universität Marburg (UMR) and the Technische Universität Darmstadt (TUDa) host repositories for other Hessian universities and ensure technical operation as well as 3rd-level support. Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen is also setting up an institutional repository solution. The aim is to achieve maximum interoperability and avoid isolated solutions within Hesse, with close cooperation in setting up and operating the repository. The metadata used in the repository is based on a standard developed and used in HeFDI, which is based on recommendations from DataCite (Institute for DOI Registration) and DINI (Deutsche Initiative für Netzwerkinformation e. V. – German Initiative for Network Information). Adaptations and further developments of the repositories are jointly discussed, processed and re-used in HeFDI – creating considerable synergies and saving costs. The open-source repository software DSpace serves as a technical basis. It is one of the most common repository software products worldwide and is maintained and further developed by a large, international community. This joint repository solution gives all HeFDI universities the possibility of directly implementing a solution for storing and, if necessary, publishing research data at their own institution. They can thus easily comply with the new DFG guidelines.
About the repositories:
Repository of the Philipps University of Marburg: data_UMR
Repository of the Technical University of Darmstadt: TUdatalib
Repository of the University of Kassel: DaKS
Repository of the Justus Liebig University Giessen: JLUdata
Long-term availability of research data
The long-term archiving of research data is a largely unresolved issue due to the heterogeneity of the data. In close coordination with infrastructural stakeholders in the state of Hesse, HeFDI has been involved in eliciting the status quo on the long-term archiving of research data. In addition, HeFDI participates in the steering group of the project Long-term Availability at Hessian Universities (LaVaH). For HeFDI, long-term availability of research data is primarily a question of metadata standards and workflows in the repositories. Here, HeFDI is looking for procedural solutions and corresponding resources in the medium term.
HeFDI flyer on data publications 1 (PDF)
HeFDI flyer on data publications 2 (PDF)
HeFDI flyer on electronic lab books (PDF)
HeFDI flyer on storage media (PDF)
HeFDI flyer on metadata (PDF)
HeFDI flyer on the storage of image and audiovisual data (PDF)
