Open Data: Where to Start?

Exploring where to contribute data? Check out those marked with (✝)

This page provides an extended list of data repositories across disciplines.
For a concise, one-page handout used at the in-person Data Help Desk, see the curated PDF: Download the one-pager

Developed in collaboration with the ESIP Open Science Cluster

Multidisciplinary Repositories
Federated Portals
Cryosphere & Polar Data
Ocean & Marine Data
Geophysical, Geospatial & Geodetic Infrastructure
Ecological & Terrestrial Observations
Biological & Specimen Repositories
Mineralogy Databases
Sample and Core Repositories
Indigenous Knowledge & Knowledge Systems
Paleoscience Data

Multidisciplinary Repositories

✝ DataONE – Cross-repository discovery for Earth & environmental science data.
✝ Figshare – Provider of open research repository infrastructure.
✝ Mendeley Data – Free and secure cloud-based communal repository.
✝ The Open Science Framework (OSF) – Collaboration tool to support researchers throughout their entire project lifecycle.
✝ PANGAEA – Digital data library and a data publisher for earth system science.
re3data – Registry of research data repositories (searchable index).
✝ Zenodo / Dryad – Generalist, FAIR-compliant repositories for a range of disciplines.

Federated Portals

✝ Ag Data Commons – Centralized data catalog and repository for agricultural research data from the USDA.
Earthdata – NASA’s portal for discovering, accessing, and visualizing Earth science data.
NIST Science Data Portal – Publicly available datasets at NIST for Science, Engineering & Technology.
National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) – Earth system science datasets including meteorological, atmospheric, and oceanographic observations and model outputs.
✝ NOAA Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) – Comprehensive gateway to NOAA’s environmental data access tools and APIs.
UN World Environment Situation Room – UNEP platform providing data, information, and knowledge on global environmental conditions.
USGS ScienceBase – Digital repository for scientific data products and resources from USGS programs.

Cryosphere & Polar Data

Antarctic Meteorological Research and Data Center (AMRDC) – Archived meteorological data and observations from Antarctic research.
✝ National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) – Cryospheric data and related geophysical data.
UMN Polar Geospatial Center (PGC) – Polar satellite imagery, digital elevation models, and historical maps.
✝ USAP-DC – Datasets derived from The NSF Antarctic program.

Ocean & Marine Data

✝ BCO-DMO – Data and information from biological, chemical, and biogeochemical marine research.
✝ CCHDO – High-quality hydrographic data from repeat hydrography programs (WOCE, GO-SHIP).
✝ MGDS – Marine geophysical and bathymetric data and metadata.

Geophysical, Geospatial & Geodetic Infrastructure

✝ EarthChem – Geochemical, geochronological and mineralogical data.
EPA Geospatial Data – Open geospatial datasets for environmental decision-making.
Geodetic Facility for the Advancement of Geoscience (GAGE) – Geodetic data for measuring Earth’s surface motion and deformation.
✝ OpenTopography – High-resolution topographic data and tools.
✝ Seismological Facility for the Advancement of Geoscience (SAGE) – Seismological data, including ground motion, atmospheric, infrasonic, and more.
Sedimentary Geochemistry and Paleoenvironments Project (SGP) – Portal for sedimentary geochemical data with sample-level context (lithology, fossils, stratigraphy, geochronology, depositional environment).

Ecological & Terrestrial Observations

CZNet – Environmental data from the Critical Zone Collaborative network.
✝ Environmental Data Initiative (EDI) – Ecological and environmental data, primarily from the LTER program.
✝ ESS-DIVE – Repository for environmental systems science data from DOE’s Office of Science BER program.
✝ HydroShare – Collaborative environment for sharing hydrologic data and models.
✝ Knowledge Network for Biocomplexity (KNB) – Repository for ecological and environmental data from NCEAS working groups.
✝ Water Quality Portal – Water quality data from USGS NWIS and EPA WQX Data Warehouse.

Biological & Specimen Repositories

✝ GenBank – Annotated collection of all publicly available NIH DNA sequences.
✝ Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) – Biodiversity occurrence and observational data aggregator.
iDigBio – Images and metadata for millions of biological specimens.
✝ Morphobank – Repository with information on anatomy, physiology, and behavior of species.
✝ Movebank Data Repository – Animal tracking and animal-borne sensor datasets.
NASA Open Science Data Repository (OSDR) – Data related to responses of terrestrial life to spaceflight.
✝ Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS) – Marine biodiversity occurrence records.

Mineralogy Databases

Mindat.org – Crowdsourced, expert-curated mineralogy database with species, localities, photographs, and references.
✝ RRUFF Project – Mineral database combining empirical analyses (spectra, structures, chemistry) with images and an open-access reference library.

Sample and Core Repositories

International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) – Ocean sub-seafloor drilling cores samples and data.
NSF Ice Core Facility (NSF-ICF) – Meteoric ice cores.
OSU Polar Rock Repository (PRR) – Antarctic rock samples + metadata.
Oregon State Marine and Geology Repository – Marine cores, rock samples, and dredged material.
Seafloor Samples Lab – Archived marine geological samples.
✝ System for Earth and Extraterrestrial Sample Registration (SESAR) – Global digital index of samples and specimens.

Indigenous Knowledge & Knowledge Systems

ELOKA – Exchange for Local Observations and Knowledge of the Arctic.
✝ Native Land Digital (NLD) – Digital maps of Indigenous territories, languages, and treaties.

Paleoscience Data

✝ Neotoma Paleoecology Database – Fossil, paleoecological, and paleoenvironmental data resource.
NOAA Paleoclimatology – World’s largest archive of climate and paleoclimatology data.
Paleobiology Database (PBDB) – Collection-based occurrence and taxonomic data for paleontology.