This document summarizes the UK Research Data Discovery Service (UKRDDS) project run by Jisc from 2013-2016. The project had two phases: an initial pilot to evaluate options for a research data registry and a second phase to build a test service based on the CKAN platform. The project engaged universities and data centers to pilot the service and provide feedback. It focused on developing a core metadata schema and getting stakeholder input to define requirements and priorities through an advisory group structure. The timeline outlines milestones like prototyping the service, implementing pilots, and developing plans to transition the service to ongoing operations.

1. Jisc Research Data Discovery Service Project
Christopher Brown
April 2016

2. Initial Phase
2
» Phase 1 (Oct 2013 – Mar 2014) – Digital Curation Centre (DCC) and the UK Data Archive
(UKDA) piloted an approach to a registry service aggregating metadata for research data
held within UK universities and national, discipline specific data centres
› Technical evaluation of Australian National Data Service (ANDS)
› Engaged with stakeholders – HEIs and Data Centres
› Metadata mapping and cross-walks to RIF-CS
› Survey and workshop to understand user needs and approaches
› Main recommendations to
– Further evaluate ANDS
– Evaluate alternatives, such as CKAN
– Metadata schema agreement
– Continue engagement with stakeholders

3. UKRDDS – from pilot to project
3
Phase 2 (Mar 2015 – Sept 2016)
Building on the pilot work to lay the firm foundations for a UK Research Data Discovery
service that enables the discovery of UK research data and meets Jisc’s customer
requirements. Includes a test service, service operation plan and business case for its
delivery into the future.
› Project page – http://jisc.ac.uk/rd/projects/uk-research-data-discovery
› Project blog – http://rdds.jiscinvolve.org/wp/
› #jiscRDDS

4. ProjectTeam – Who?
4
» Catherine Grout – Project Director (Jisc)
» Christopher Brown – Project Manager (Jisc)
» Mark Winterbottom –Technical Developer (Jisc)
» Dom Fripp – Metadata Developer (Jisc)
» Ade Stevenson -Technical Innovations Coordinator (Jisc Manchester)
» Veerle van den Eynden – Data Centre Engagement (UKDS)
» Diana Sisu – HEI Engagement (DCC)

5. Participating pilots – user engagement
5
HEIs
» University of Hull
» University of St Andrews
» University of Glasgow
» Oxford Brookes University
» University of Edinburgh
» University of Oxford
» University of Southampton
» University of Leeds
» University of Lincoln
Data Centres
» Archaeology Data Centre
» Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre
» ISIS/ICAT - STFC
» UK Data Service
» VisualArts Data Centre
» NERC

6. Governance Structure – user input
6
» User group
› Provide feedback on the project progress and deliverables, ask questions and share
experience
» Technical and metadata advisory group
› Looking at the service from a technical standpoint and advising on the development
of the metadata schema
» User group – researchers
› As the overall aim of the project is production of a service to provide improved
discoverability of research data for reuse in research, it is critical that we provide a
mechanism for researchers to interact with and feedback on the development of the
service

7. Benefits – Why?
7
» Increased visibility and transparency of research data helps:
› Promotion of HEI/Data Centre’s research
› Re-use and sharing of data
› Validation of research
» Discovery is an important layer in research data infrastructure
» Reducing the barrier to participation in research by making the data discoverable
» Satisfying RCUK mandates and policies for open access to publicly-funded research –
providing a sector wide solution (will be part of Research Data Management Shared
Service)
» Potential increase in cross-disciplinary and cross-institutional research
» Supporting research across the research lifecycle (as part of Research @ Risk)

8. Who’s it for? Gather user stories
8http://rdds.jiscinvolve.org/wp/2015/05/08/initial-workshop/
» MoSCoW prioritisation
Project / research manager
» Reporting to funders
» Find research outputs of my institution
Researcher
» Discover datasets
» Discover related objects / resources
» Find data across disciplines by location
» Find exemplar data to inspire my research
» Targeted search for topical data
» Visual search for data
» Find linked open data
» Understand metadata quality
» Understand data quality
» Show research impact
Machine
» Harvestable registry
» Show relationships between resources
Data repository
» Show repository impact
» Metadata rights respected
» Show licence and rights of data
» Index to external services
» Force refresh of registry content
System manager
» No duplicate records
» Harvest datasets
» Update platform software
Funder
» Return on investment

9. Metadata – a core schema
9
Research data discovery service

10. Project to Service
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» Engage with participants through workshops and online meetings
» Gather user stories for a Discovery Service
» Choice of CKAN software following evaluation (CKAN and ANDS)
» Statement of Requirements - prioritised and refined through advisory groups
» Alpha site - http://ckan.data.alpha.jisc.ac.uk/
» System testing and gathering feedback
» Develop business case for service

11. Current Issues
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» Quality and completeness of metadata exposed by different HEIs and Data
Centres
» Diversity in mandatory and optional metadata fields
» Open access, licences and copyright
» Access to external data source may require a log in
» Updates of harvested metadata to handle deletions/changes
» Usability of the discovery service
» Ensure functionality matches requirements

12. Current Focus
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» Alpha -> Beta (http://ckan.data.alpha.jisc.ac.uk/)
› Agile, rapid development of functionality against requirements and system testing
» Metadata (http://bit.ly/1QZVMCo)
› Finalising the core metadata schema with participants / advisory groups / research
community
» Scope of datasets (http://bit.ly/1Yy4MSy)
› Ensuring there is agreement on what datasets are harvested

13. Timeline 2015
13
Milestones 2015
April-June July September-October November December
- Project plan
- Grant letters
- Initial Workshop
- Advisory Groups
- User Stories
- Metadata format
defined
- Prototype RDDS
development
- Call for proposal
(Inst’al Implem)
- Test harvesting
- RDDS initial
testing
- RDDS
prototyping
- Requirements
gathered
- Use stories -> Use
Cases
(refined/prioritised)
- High level evaluation
- CKAN selected as
platform
- Reqs defined from
use cases
- Metadata standard
format of service
defined
- Service proto
- Call for HEIs to
pilot inst’al impl.
- Test metadata
defined and
harvested
- Iterative
development
- Initial testing
- User Stories
refined
-Advisory Groups
setup (Tech &
Metadata, User,
Researcher)
- Technical Evaluation
Report
- CKAN installation
- Requirements
defined
- Data Centre
Reqs Report
- HEI Reqs
Report
- Use Cases

14. Timeline 2016
14
Milestones 2016
January February-March April-May June-August September
- RDDS
prototyping
- RDDS testing
- Metadata
format /
standards
- Metadata Tech
Report
- Metadata
Records/Stores
- Institutional
Implementation
Reports
- Business Case
- Working service
software
implementation
- Data Centre / HEI
Pilots
Implementation
Reports
- Service
Operational Spec
- Localised
implementation
and report
- Iterative
development
- Testing
- Metadata format
defined, supported
formats agreed,
export format.
- Metadata records
harvested from pilots
- Pilots have metadata
stores for harvesting
- HEI/Sector/Use cases
reports (Inst. Imp)
- Options and costs for
running a sustainable
service
- Implementation as a
service ready for
deployment
- Implementation
reports from Data
Centres and HEIs
- Spec on running as a
service
- Localised
institutional
implementation /
deployment

15. Find out more…
15
Christopher Brown
Senior Co-design Manager,
Jisc
christopher.brown@jisc.ac.uk
@chriscb
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