Depositing and sharing data

Before deciding where and how to deposit or share research data, it is essential to understand the nature of the data itself. Recognizing whether data are living or static helps determine the most appropriate approach for archiving, sharing, and maintaining them responsibly over time.

Living data are datasets that evolve over time. New entries are added, corrections are made, or analyses are updated as the research progresses. These data require storage solutions that support version control, collaborative access, and continuous updating, such as institutional repositories with dynamic data management capabilities or platforms.

Static data represent a finalized and stable version of a dataset that will no longer change after publication. These are best stored in trusted, long-term repositories.

Maintaining living data

Icelandic Research e-Infrastructure – IREI

The Icelandic Research e-Infrastructure (IREI) Link aims to establish a powerful, scalable, and unified IT platform to support scientific research in Icelandic universities and research institutions.

IREI provides researchers with consultancy, secure data storage, high-performance computing (HPC) capacity, and data-sharing solutions. The infrastructure is designed to meet the growing computational and data management needs of research projects in all disciplines, from the humanities to the natural sciences.

The development of IREI is divided into two main phases:

Startup Phase
This phase focuses on the procurement and implementation of the core infrastructure, including HPC hardware, large-scale storage systems, backup and data-sharing solutions, and robust firewall security.

Expansion Phase
Once the core systems are established, the next phase will add additional resources, such as enhanced computing power, extra HPC nodes, increased storage capacity, servers, and network infrastructure. This phase will also introduce integration with external systems and cloud service providers, enabling seamless data sharing and interoperability with other research infrastructures.

Contact
Guðmundur H. Kjærnested, University of Iceland, Director of the Division of Information Technology (ghkjaerne@hi.is)

Depositing static data

Why archive data in an online repository instead of publishing it?

Archiving data resulting from a research project provides an additional output besides many other research outputs. Archived data can complement publications and provide the baseline data used for publications.

DATICE – The Icelandic Research Data Service

DATICE (Icelandic GAGNÍS) is the official service provider for the Consortium of European Social Science Data Archives (CESSDA-ERIC) in Iceland. Its main objectives are to maximise the use of research data in Iceland, to ensure free and wide access to the data and its long-term preservation. The service is a collaboration between all Icelandic universities and is set up to ensure open and free access to scientific data for the research community, the media and the general public. DATICE’s data is archived using the Dataverse repository system developed by Harvard University. Dataverse is an open-source software that was designed specifically to provide open access to scientific data in accordance with the FAIR principles.

DATICE was established as a response to the growing demands of the international scientific community for the open dissemination of publicly funded research data. Its establishment is in line with the HI26 policy of the University of Iceland. DATICE works in accordance with international standards, including the FAIR Principles.

The CDHA Dataverse

CDHA has its own Dataverse repository for depositing, preserving, and sharing arts and humanities research data.

In the repository, you can:

• Download data files
• Access accompanying documentation, which provides context about the design and implementation of the original study
• View rich metadata

The datasets are subject to the Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, which grants the right to use, share and customize the data.