The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) generates scientific research data in many forms, both text and non-text. While many of the DOE Science Accelerator resources make the Department's text-based information easily available, users may also want access to the original, underlying non-text data, such as computer simulations, figures and plots, interactive maps, multimedia, numeric files, and scientific images.
OSTI has developed a discovery tool, the DOE Data Explorer (DDE), to help meet this need.The DOE Data Explorer – A Tool for Data Discovery
The DOE Data Explorer (DDE) is a data discovery tool designed to make the Department's scientific research data more visible and easily accessible to all users. DOE Data Explorer identifies and describes collections of DOE-sponsored, non-text data. These collections reside at national laboratories, data centers, user facilities, colleges and universities, and the websites of professional organizations, consortiums, corporate institutions, and international organizations. All the collections included are available for free access, although some require password registration. A key component of each DOE Data Explorer citation is a link to the data collection on its host server. This allows users to take full advantage of the highly specialized interfaces and software toolkits that have been developed specifically for many of these collections. The interfaces and toolkits provide customized ways to search data, compare sets of data, visualize data, and package data for download and reuse.
DOE Data Centers – Providing Expertise and Specialized Services
Many of DOE’s important collections of research data are maintained in officially designated data centers. A data center may be defined as: “An institutionally supported facility providing convenient access to, manipulation of, and/or distribution of data sets (including supporting information and expertise) for a wide community of users. It has a long-term charter (not tied to the lifetime of a specific project). A data center can create Special Data Products when needed. A facility storing, maintaining, and making available data sets for expected use in ongoing and/or future activities. Data centers provide selection and replication of data and needed documentation and, often, the generation of user-tailored data products.” (Source: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology).
Data Forums and Activities – Collaborating on the Issues
OSTI represents DOE's interests in several scientific and technical data-related groups. Active participation ensures that needs, issues, decisions, and implementations are communicated between the Department and the scientific data community.
Data Publications – Documenting Progress
The subject of digital data has become a topic of interest within DOE and across all the federal agencies that have scientific research responsibilities. How can the huge amounts of raw, scientific data currently being generated or collected be effectively stored, described, distributed, analyzed, accessed, and referenced in published literature, and managed for long-term preservation and reuse? The data publications page contains links to important white papers, presentations, published news, and workshop reports that document this ongoing discussion.
