资源环境科技发展态势分析平台

Experts from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) have contributed to a new Google search tool to help scientists, policy makers and other user groups easily find the data required for their work and their stories, or simply to satisfy their intellectual curiosity.

There are many thousands of data repositories on the web, providing access to millions of datasets; and local and national governments around the world publish their data as well. As part of the UKRI commitment to easy access to data, its experts worked with Google to help develop the Dataset Search, launched on 6 September.

NERC/STFC JASMIN computer.(Credit: STFC)

Similar to how Google Scholar works, Dataset Search lets users find datasets wherever they’re hosted, whether it’s a publisher's site, a digital library, or an author's personal web page.

Google approached UKRI’s Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) to help ensure their world-leading environmental datasets were included. The heritage in these organisations for managing huge complex datasets on the atmosphere, oceans, climate change, and even data about the solar system, managed by Dr Sarah Callaghan, the Data and Programme Manager at the UKRI’s national space laboratory STFC RAL Space, led to them working with Google on the project.

Dr Sarah Callaghan said: “In RAL Space we manage, archive and distribute thousands of terabytes of data to make it available to scientific researchers and other interested parties. My experience making datasets findable, usable and interoperable enabled me to advise Google on their Dataset Search and how to best display their search results.”

“I was able to draw on my work with NERC and STFC datasets, not only in just archiving and managing data for the long term and the scientific record, but also helping users to understand if a dataset is the right one for their purposes.”

Related news

Research projects to build trust, privacy and security in use of personal data and digital technologies

JASMIN4: a crucial upgrade for environmental science

Further information

Read our data policy

Find out more about the new Google search tool on the NERC and STFC websites

STFC RAL Space - RAL Space is an integral part of the STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL). RAL Space carries out world-class space research and technology development with involvement in over 210 space missions.