dans.knaw.nlDANS is een instituut van KNAW en NWO

Trustworthy Repositories for

(Open) Research Data

Ingrid Dillo, DANS, Netherlands

8 September 2017, 2nd National Irish RDA Worskhop, Dublin

Policy makers

..but what about the researchers?

Source: The State of Open Data, Digital Science Report (2016).Retrieved: December 23, 2016 . Figures have been redrawn from the originals.

Hesitance in reality

“Perhaps the biggest challenge in sharing data is trust: how do you create a system robust enough for scientists to trust that, if they share, their data won’t be lost, garbled, stolen or misused?”

Pillars of trust

• actions and attributes of the trustee (integrity, transparency, competence, predictability, guarantees, positive intentions)

• external acknowledgements:

• reputation (researchers)

• third party endorsements (funders, publishers)

The global certification landscape

ISO 16363:2012 - Audit and certification of trustworthy digital repositories http://www.iso16363.org/

DIN 31644 standard “Criteria for trustworthy digital archives” http://www.langzeitarchivierung.de

http://www.datasealofapproval.org/https://www.icsu-wds.org/

DANS and Data Seal of Approval

• 2005: DANS to promote and provide permanent access to digital research resources

• Formulate quality guidelines for digital repositories including DANS

• 2009: international DSA Board

• Almost 70 seals acquired around the globe, but with a focus on Europe

• https://www.datasealofapproval.org/en/

Partnership with WDS under the umbrella of RDA

Goals:

• Realizing efficiencies

• Simplifying assessment options

• Stimulating more certifications

Outcomes:

• Common catalogue of requirements for core repository assessment

• Common procedures for self-assessment and review process

• One new certification body

New Requirements

• Organizational infrastructure (6)

• Digital object management (8)

• Technology (2)

• Endorsed RDA output

• EC-recognition as an ICT technical specification

https://goo.gl/kZb1Ga

New Requirements

Organizational infrastructure

• Mission/scope

• Licenses

• Continuity of access

• Confidentiality and ethics

• Organizational infrastructure

• Expert guidanceDigital object management

• Data integrity and authenticity• Appraisal• Documented storage procedures• Preservation plan• Data quality• Workflows• Data discovery and identification• Data reuseTechnology

• Technical infrastructure• Security

Institute of

Dutch Academy

and Research

Funding

Organisation

(KNAW & NWO)

since 2005

First predecessor

dates back to

1964 (Steinmetz

Foundation),

Historical Data

Archive 1989

Mission: promote

and provide

permanent

access to digital

research

resources

DANS organisation

DataverseNL to support data

storage during

research until

10 years after

NARCIS Portal

aggregating

research

information and

institutional

repositories

EASYCertified Long-

term Archive

DANS core services

https://dans.knaw.nl

Certification at DANS

2011: certification of the DANS repository becomes an important target in long term policy strategy

2011: DSA seal and ISO test audit

2013: renewal DSA seal

2015: nestorSeal, WDS accreditation

2017: CoreTrustSeal

Certification in practice

• Broad support within the organization is needed

• Commitment from the top is crucial

• Use the framework: do not aim to high at once

Why do repositories invest in certification efforts?

• Builds stakeholder confidence in the repository (funders, publishers, etc.)

• Raises awareness about digital preservation

• Improves communication within the repository

• Improves repository processes

• Ensures transparency

• Differentiates the repository from others

NCDD survey: perceived benefits

“The benefits propagated by the DSA itself are in line with the perception of the respondents: this is most clearly the case with the stated benefit “awareness raising about digital preservation,” followed by “stakeholder confidence.”

“When queried about other perceived benefits, it is clear that the certification process not only led to external benefits but also to improved internal processes, documentation and opportunities to attract data producers as well as data consumers.”

Quote: “The experience of applying and the issues that came up during the process have turned out to be very positive and are helping us consolidate our quality related working lines.”

Why do we do this at DANS?

• Certification as a means to build trust in our repository with our clients, both depositors and users of data, with our partner organizations and with research funders

• Certification as a ‘big stick’ to further develop and professionalize our core services, workflows and our organization as a whole

NCDD survey: overall judgement

“The respondents perceive the benefits of DSA-certification as both tangible and critical to the continuing fulfillment of their mission.”

“The majority of the respondents rated the ratio between investments and benefits as “adequate-rewarding” to “rewarding-excellent.”

“Almost no one aimed for certification at a higher level (DIN 31644, ISO 16363). ”

A practical guide in the national context

Takeaway for the World Cafe

The availability of repositories is an important building block in any approach to (open) research data

The draft principles mention the following requirements:

• open

• sufficient metadata

Not included yet:

• ensuring the long-term accessibility of open research data through certified trustworthy repositories.

Thank you for listening

ingrid.dillo@dans.knaw.nl

www.dans.knaw.nl