Researchers need to store and access active data for their work. They often use local storage devices and email to manage their data, but these methods lack resilience. Institutions provide network storage, but their systems are rarely used by researchers for active data access and sharing. An ideal solution would transparently synchronize local and network storage, providing both the convenience of local access and the resilience of network attached storage. However, there are challenges to managing active research data at large scales, including file sizes, storage locations, costs, ease of use, network transfers, versions, and access rights that institutions aim to address.

1. Managing active data:
storage, access, academic
dropbox services
JISC MRD Workshop,
Nottingham , 24th October 2012

2. Managing active data
What we know:
• Researchers need to store data
• They often do so on discs, memory sticks etc.
• Institutions provide network storage
• Researchers need to access data and share files
• They often do so using email, discs, drop box etc.
• Institutional systems are rarely provided

3. The Holy Grail?
“What is needed is a tool to transparently
synchronise local and network storage,
effectively providing an offline cache which
provides the convenience and speed of local
disk access combined with the resilience of
network attached storage”
Jez Cope, Research360

4. Issues…
• Large files & size of data
• Managing storage locations
• Cost of storage
• Ease of use
• Network transfer
• Versions, conflict
• Access rights
• Metadata

5. Discussion
Key questions to explore relating to managing active data
• what has worked/is working;
• what lessons have been learnt and how generalisable
are they;
• what challenges remain;
• how can these challenges may be approached and
what do institution/project intend to do;
• what DCC / MRD activity may help make the challenge
more tractable.