Library

The Tallinn University of Technology Data Repository TalTechData is a  platform designed to support the secure sharing, long-term preservation, and broad accessibility of research data collected by the university's researchers.

The repository is a collaborative project that started in 2021 between TalTech Library and TalTech High Performance Computing Center (HPC Center). The service is provided by the library and managed by the HPC Center, whereas both are engaged in further development and maintenance of the repository.

The main goal of TalTechData is to gather research data and other research outputs (software, algorithms, code, protocols, workflows, data management plans, project reports etc) from all the university’s research fields. It stands for the responsible management of research data and encouraging open science and FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable). The repository ensures the long-term preservation of datasets and helps researchers adhere to the FAIR principles.

Documents in the repository are searchable in full text. Published metadata will be automatically indexed in common search engines. To make publications easier to find and cite, the repository offers assignment of DOI. Metadata of published records is listed in the European Open Science Cloud, Openaire Explore and DataCite Commons. The repository itself is registered in OpenDOAR, Re3data and European Open Science Cloud.

General information

• Scope: All fields of research. All types of research artifacts. Content must not violate privacy or copyright, or breach confidentiality or non-disclosure agreements for data collected from human subjects.
• Status of research data: Any status is accepted, from any stage of the research lifecycle.
• Eligible depositors: All users with TalTech Uni-ID are allowed to deposit content for which they possess the appropriate rights.
• Data file formats: All formats are allowed, even preservation unfriendly. We are working on guidelines and features that will help people deposit in preservation friendly formats.
• Volume and size limitations: Total files size limit per record is 10 GB. Higher quotas can be requested and granted on a case-by-case basis.
• Data quality: All information is provided “as-is”, and information providers/uploaders are responsible about data quality
• Metadata types and sources: Bibliographic records are stored as JSON documents in a structure that is aligned with DataCite’s Metadata Schema v4.x with minor additions and modifications. Metadata can be exported in several standard formats: JSON, CSL, DataCite JSON, DataCite XML, Dublin Core XML. 
• Licenses: Users must specify a license for all publicly available files. Licenses for closed access files may be specified in the description field.
• Persistent identifier: Each upload (record) receives its own Digital Object Identifier (DOI) through the DataCite system.
• Versions: The repository allows versioning of uploaded files. Each new version gets its own DOI.

Access and Reuse

• Access to data objects: Files may be deposited under closed, open, or embargoed access. Access to metadata and data files is provided over standard protocols such as HTTP and OAI-PMH.
• Re-use of data objects: Re-use is subject to the license under which the data objects were deposited.
• Embargo status: Users may deposit content under an embargo status and provide an end date for the embargo. The repository will restrict access to the data until the end of the embargo period; at which time, the content will become publically available automatically.
• Restricted Access: Users may deposit restricted files with the ability to share access with others if certain requirements are met. These files will not be made publicly available and sharing will be made possible only by the approval of depositor of the original file.
• Metadata access and reuse: Metadata is licensed under CC0,  all metadata is exported via OAI-PMH and can be harvested.

Longevity

• Retention period: Files will be retained for the 10 years, metadata will be retained for the lifetime of the repository. 
• File preservation: Data files and metadata are backed up on a weekly basis and replicated into multiple copies.
• Succession plans: In case of closure of the repository, best efforts will be made to integrate all content into suitable alternative institutional and/or subject based repositories.

Data repositories are digital archives that allow researchers and research teams to securely preserve, share, and manage research data collected during their studies. These repositories offer a structured environment where research data can be preserved long-term and made easily accessible for future use. Data repositories promote research transparency and reliability, providing researchers with the opportunity to share their data with others and enabling its use in scientific contexts. They also help to comply with international standards for data management.

Repositories are divided:

• institutional research data repositories – e.g. Edinburgh DataShare,  Harvard Dataverse
• national data repositories – e.g. UK Data Service, The Australian National Data Sevice (ANDS) 
• disciplinary research data repositories – e.g.   PANGAEA,  DataverseNo - TROLLing, DataONE 
• multidisciplinary research data repositories – e.g.  ZENODO, DRYAD 
• project-specific research data repositories - e.g.  Scientific Drilling Database

Data repositories are enrolled in registers

• Registry of Research Data Repositories (Re3data.org)
• Open Access Infrastructure for Research in Europe (OpenAIRE)
  Search for data and publications
• Directory of Academic Open Access Repositories (OpenDOAR)
• Registry of Open Access Repositories (ROAR)

The quality badge Data Seal of Approval certifies the trustworthiness of a repository. You can see the list of repositories that have up to now been approved here.