LibGuides: Research Data: Data Storage & Repositories

What's the Difference Between Data Storage and Data Repositories?

Data Storage

Data Storage is where you keep your data during and after your project. Data Storage options include external hard drives, Microsoft OneDrive, Google Drive, and other services.

Data Repositories

A Data Repository is a storage space that aims to preserve and provide long-term access to Research Data. The general goal of repositories is that their Research Data is Open.
A data repository may be associated with a discipline, an institution, a consortium, a publisher, or other organizations.

Do I need Data Storage or a Data Repository?

If your goal is to make your data Open and accessible to other researchers, then you are looking for a Data Repository.
If you want a place to keep your data after your project is finished but you don't want to share your data you're looking for Data Storage.

Curation and Preservation

Digital Curation is the selection, preservation, maintenance, collection and archiving of digital assets.

Digital Preservation is a set of activities required to make sure digital objects can be located, rendered, used and understood in the future.

For more information on these you can check out our page on Digital Curation and Preservation.

Data Repositories at BCIT

BCIT does NOT currently have a research data repository, though we are currently looking into our options. Please contact us if you need help finding a data repository.

FRDR (Federated Research Data Repository)

We currently recommend BCIT researchers use FRDR.
Before using FRDR you need to set up a Globus account. You should be able to create a Globus account using your BCIT login information. This page has all the information you need to create an account.

cIRcuit: BCIT's Institutional Repository

Depending on your type of project and data we may be able to include it in our repository. (No promises though!)

Research Data Repositories and Resources

Borealis: The Canadian Dataverse Repository
Borealis provides a platform for discovery, management, sharing, and preservation of Canadian research data. It is the successor to Scholars Portal Dataverse.
Zenodo
Zenodo is an open dissemination research data repository built and operated by CERN and OpenAIRE.
OSF (Open Science Framework)
OSF is a free, open platform to support research and enable collaboration. Allows you to store and analyze data.
Abacus Data Network
The Abacus Data Network is a data repository collaboration involving Libraries at Simon Fraser University (SFU), the University of British Columbia (UBC), the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) and the University of Victoria (UVic).
Ontario Council of University Libraries (OCUL) Scholars Portal - Scholars GeoPortal
Canada’s first certified Trustworthy Digital Repository. Scholars GeoPortal is a geospatial data discovery tool.
Dryad
Dryad hosts research data underlying Ecology scientific and medical publications. Dryad is built upon the open-source DSpace repository software.
Repository Options in Canada: A Portage Guide
This guide provides detailed information to help researchers and data professionals determine the most appropriate option for their data, with a particular focus on Canada’s two developing national repository platforms: the Federated Research Data Repository (FRDR) and Dataverse.
re3data: Registry of Research Data Repositories
Re3data is a global registry of research data repositories that covers research data repositories from different academic disciplines.

Online Data Storage Options

Microsoft OneDrive
Provided by BCIT ITS. Provides up to 1TB of online file storage.
Sync
Secure cloud service company. Data is stored in Canada and can be HIPAA, GDPR, and PIPEDA compliant.