Tools and services for identifying data

Data holders and research infrastructures in Sweden offer various types of tools and services for identifying data that can be used in research. This section describes a number of those developed by Swedish authorities and research infrastructures to make metadata accessible about register data, open data and research data.

The differences between the metadata services are mainly related to their focus, intended application and the type of metadata and data they handle. Each of these services is designed to meet specific needs within their respective domains and user groups.

RUT – metadata service for register data and biobank sample collections

RUT (Register Utiliser Tool) is a metadata service developed by the Swedish Research Council to identify data in Swedish registers and biobank sample collections. The service is continuously developed to meet the needs of researchers and register-keeping organisations.

RUT provides:

• a structured overview of data sources through an open metadata catalogue. It currently has functions for filtering metadata based on registry level and time period, meaning how long the register has been collecting data.
• detailed insight into the content of the registers at variable level via a metadata tool. An account is required to access the content, and the service is free of charge.
• a basis for data management plans in register-based research and other research data documentation, for example in data repositories or research metadata catalogues.

RUT can be a support in identifying and specifying a basis for data requests, but it is always important to have a dialogue with the data holders during the planning phase of a project.

Researchdata.se – portal for research data

The Swedish National Data Service (SND) is a research infrastructure that develops services and tools to facilitate the management, sharing and reuse of research data. SND provides the portal researchdata.se, which makes it possible to search for and find research data from different subject areas. Some data can be downloaded directly, while data that cannot be shared openly is described and can be disclosed upon request after approval. There is also data that is only described in the catalogue and can be accessed via another portal/entity.

DORIS, SND's digital system, is a comprehensive gateway for higher education institutions and research authorities and can be used to describe and share research data via the researchdata.se portal.

DORIS can also be used by those who work in a support function and are responsible for reviewing metadata descriptions. Research data described in DORIS can either be stored in SND's repository or locally at the higher education institution or authority.

To request data that has been identified via researchdata.se but has restricted access, the permission of the research principal is required. The request must include the purpose and project description for the use of the data, as well as contact details for the person who wishes to access the material. The research principal will decide whether the data can be disclosed.

Sveriges dataportal – data from public and private organisations

The Swedish Agency for Digital Government, Digg, manages Sveriges data portal, which promotes both access to and use of data that can benefit society. Sweden's data portal contains accessible data sets from both public and private organisations in Sweden, as well as support for sharing data in the form of guidance, recommendations and resources.

The data portal also allows users to search for data sets that have been made available for further use. The data sets can be searched using metadata, meaning descriptive information about the data sets. The data can then be downloaded via download links or by contacting the organisation responsible for the data set.

European Data Portal – EU open data

Data.europa.eu is the official portal for European data. The portal is part of the EU's open data strategy and can be used for both commercial and non-commercial purposes. The registers included are official statistics linked to the activities of public authorities and political bodies.