About
Overview of B2SHARE frequently asked questions.
Modified: 7 June 2021
What can I deposit in B2SHARE?
B2SHARE is a service for what is commonly called the “long tail of data” which is a key component of scientific research but is often under-exploited and even at risk when only stored on separate machines and storage devices, such as notebooks, desktops or departmental servers. Any kind of stable research data which you want to preserve and share in a safe environment can be deposited in B2SHARE.
Research data can be primary data or processed data, data as the basis for a publication. The research data can be empirical or theoretical and it can have various formats - papers, spreadsheets, audio-visual media, practically any kind file and format, provided the data source or purpose of the data has a scientific background. The data is uploaded from your local or departmental storage device as digital objects which are then automatically assigned with persistent identifiers, ensuring long-lasting access and reference to the data, and metadata can also be added. Please read the service Terms of Use for further information.
What is not allowed to be deposited in B2SHARE?
Any kind of data which can be considered illegal in the real or digital world, this includes content of child sexual abuse and extreme violence and racist material. EUDAT respects the intellectual property rights of
others and will respond to notices of alleged copyright infringement that comply with applicable law properly provided to us.
What is research data?
Research data can be primary data or processed data, data as basis for a publication. The research data can be empirical or theoretical and it can have formats of papers, spreadsheets, audio-visual media, practically any kind file and format, provided the data source or purpose of the data has a scientific background.
How many files can I deposit or records can I create in B2SHARE?
There is no limit to the number of files you can deposit or records you can create in B2SHARE. Currently the service relies on the “fair share” principle as EUDAT intends to guarantee the availability of the service to everyone interested in depositing research data on this service. Therefore we are monitoring the data growth and will increase the back-end storage capacity incrementally when necessary.
If you are representing a community, have many files or want to create many records please contact us through the EUDAT support request form.
What is the maximum file size I can upload?
Currently there is a limit of 10 GB per file and 20 GB per record. If you would like to upload larger files, please get in touch with us through the EUDAT support request form.
Is B2SHARE meant for individual researchers or communities?
You can use B2SHARE either as an individual user or as a member of a specific research community. Similarly you can choose to deposit your data using the generic deposit interface or selecting a community or project extension which includes specific metadata fields. B2SHARE is the ideal place to bridge the gap between citizen scientists and researchers to enable and stimulate collaboration and sharing research data.
Is the data deposited open to anybody?
B2SHARE allows you to choose whether you want to open your data to anybody or want to restrict its access. However, all metadata stored in B2SHARE, except private information such as email addresses and phone numbers, are made publicly available. As the service is dedicated to research data, the names and affiliations of the data owner and/or the data depositor must be publicly available.
Does EUDAT own my data once I deposit it in B2SHARE?
No, EUDAT has no claim over the data deposited in B2SHARE and depositors remain entirely responsible for the data they deposit.
Where is my data actually physically stored?
During the inception phase of the service the data is deposited in Finland at the Finnish IT Center for Science. More precisely it is stored on servers in Kajaani, a newly built environmental friendly data center using the most advanced and modern data centre technology. EUDAT retains the right of archiving, i.e. creating replicas at trusted centers to take care of long-term persistence. In the next few months we plan to make it possible to users to choose their preferred storage provider from a selection of EUDAT centres in various European locations.
How safe is my data in B2SHARE?
B2SHARE relies on the best professional IT management practices in use to preserve your data (multiple copies, back-up, and recovery plan). The Data Centre where your data is stored, Datacenter CSC Kajaani, is certified by the ISO/IEC 27001:2005 standard for its information security management system. The B2SHARE repository will also use EUDAT’s B2SAFE Replication service to exchange data within its realm for data persistency.
How long will you keep my data?
EUDAT CDI brings together a consortium of 25 partners, including national data and high performance computing (HPC) centres, technology providers, research communities, and research councils from 13 countries. EUDAT CDI B2SHARE's basic premise is to be a permanent service. It is provided via EUDAT Collaborative Data Infrastructure (CDI), so the permanency of the service is not tied to an individual organization or centre as a provider. In the unlikely event that the EUDAT CDI B2SHARE service would draw to a close in the future, we guarantee to keep your data archived and accessible for at least 2 years and will assist in the migration of your data to other suitable repositories.
It is possible to make a contract of a EUDAT B2SHARE Premium service with EUDAT Ltd. These are usually made for customer dedicated service instances, with specified contract length, storage capacity and other possible tailored features for a negotiated price. It is also possible to negotiate that the data is hosted, for example, in the same country as the research community, which might provide national funding opportunities.
How can I provide feedback to the service? How can I influence its development?
Technical and operational support is available via the EUDAT support request form. If you are interested in contributing to the development of the service, or wish to offer a customised interface for your community or project, please also contact us via this form.
Document Data
Version: 1.1.1
Authors:
Hans van Piggelen (SURF)