The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Policy on Digital Data Management is part of the implementation of the Department of Energy’s Public Access Plan and was developed in alignment with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Policy on Digital Data Management.
EERE’s mission is to create and sustain American leadership in the transition to a global clean energy economy. EERE leads the Department of Energy's efforts to develop and deliver market-driven solutions for energy-saving homes, buildings, and manufacturing; sustainable transportation; and renewable electricity generation.
Data management involves all stages of the digital data life cycle including capture, analysis, sharing, and preservation. The focus of this policy is sharing and preservation of digital research data.
Data Management Principles
EERE affirms that the following principles related to the management of digital research data directly support fulfillment of its mission:
-
Effective data management has the potential to increase the pace of scientific discovery and promote more efficient and effective use of government funding and resources. Data management planning should be an integral part of research planning.
-
Sharing and preserving data are central to protecting the integrity of science by facilitating validation of results and to advancing science by broadening the value of research data to disciplines other than the originating one and to society at large. To the greatest extent and with the fewest constraints possible, and consistent with the requirements and other principles of this policy, data sharing should make digital research data available to and useful for the scientific community, industry, and the public.
- Not all data need to be shared or preserved. The costs and benefits of doing so should be considered in data management planning, determined by the principal investigator, and addressed in the data management plan.