Before your research starts
- Berend Dijk, van
This page assumes that you have some general knowledge about the purpose of Research Drive. If not, please read this page first.
Before you start using (or request access to) Research Drive, there are several aspects that you need to consider. We have condensed them into the following six questions:
In the sections below, we will provide more information.
NOTE: If you already have a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) and/or Data Management Plan (DMP), then most of these questions are probably already answered or can be answered more easily.
If Research Drive seems to fit your purpose, you can request access (at the end of this page).
What types of data will you use?
Before you request access to Research Drive, make sure to have a good understanding of the types of data that you will store.
Research Drive is suitable for unstructured data (files).
Consider for example:
Data formats. Research Drive is suitable for most data formats.
Data volumes. Research Drive can handle large amounts of data. However, special care must be taken when downloading or uploading large amounts of data. See this Surf wiki page.
The number of files. Research Drive can handle many files. However, special care must be taken when downloading and uploading large numbers of files. See this Surf wiki page.
Metadata. Research Drive provides groups/projects with a folder structure with files. Metadata can be stored in separate files. There is no separate metadata catalogue for the files.
Research Drive is not suitable for highly structured data - that are better stored in (relational) databases.
Contact the us if you believe that you need to upload/download large amounts of data or many files.
Does the data contain confidential information?
Before you request access to Research Drive, make sure that you have a good understanding of the sensitivity or confidentiality of the data.
Consider for example:
Are the data public (V=1)? Part of the data can be shared with anybody.
Are the data internal (V=2)? Part of the data can only be shared within the project or team (or within the university).
Are the data confidential (V=3)? The data contains e.g. information about (living) humans
Personal data, such as:
First and last name
Social security number or password number
Date and place of birth
Sex
Information related to their address
Are the data secret (V=4)? Contain special categories of personal data or have to be considered as sensitive for other reasons. e.g. information about,
Specific personal data such as:
Race, ethnicity, political views, religion
Sexual life/preferences
Genetic or biometric data with the purpose of unique identification
Health information, among which medical data
Criminal past
Children
Additional measures may be necessary to protect the data (e.g., encryption, file passwords, etc).
For data with ratings V=3 or V=4, the university usually requires a DPIA. Contact the Privacy Officer of your faculty if you do not already have a DPIA.
Contact the ISSC in case you have questions concerning how to implement measures that you need to take to protect the data.
With whom will you share data?
Before you request access to Research Drive, make sure you have a good understanding with whom you will share the data.
Consider for example:
Data will only be shared between members of the group/project
Part of the data will be shared with people outside the group/project, but inside the university
Part of the data will be shared with people outside the university
Part of the data will be shared with people in the private/commercial sector
Part of the data will be shared with people outside the European Union
Part of the data will be shared with people in countries where human rights are not respected <explain further>
Filling a Data Management Plan (DMP) will help you address questions related to data sharing in your research project. Various funders require the availability of a DMP when submitting a proposal or before the research starts. Contact the Faculty Data Steward if you do not already have a DMP for your research project.
Each group/project in Research Drive appoints a group/project member (the Project Folder Owner) who is made responsible for the main folder structure, for managing group/project membership and for managing access rights to the data. The Project Folder Owner must be fully informed about with whom data can/must be shared.
Contact the ISSC in case you have questions concerning a suitable folder structure and how to efficiently manage access rights in Research Drive.
Will you edit/manipulate data in Research Drive?
Research Drive is primarily for storing and sharing data. A number of actions can be performed on the data while they reside in Research Drive.
For example, consider the following:
Do you need to collaborative edit files?
Do you need to apply specific applications on files?
Contact the ISSC in case you have questions concerning a suitable folder structure and how to efficiently manage access rights in Research Drive.
Contact the ISSC in case you have questions concerning the available applications in Research Drive.
How do you want to connect to Research Drive?
An important consideration to make before you start using Research Drive is/are the interface/interfaces that you will use.
There are three main interfaces to Research Drive, listed in the table below with some characteristics. The best choice for you depends on your data and needs/requirements for sharing the data.
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Please note:
For sensitive data (V=3 or V=4), copies of data located at multiple locations must be avoided, including the synchronization of files across multiple devices/locations. As such, the OwnCloud client should be avoided.
How do you intend to use Research Drive?
Access to Research Drive can be requested for four purposes:
Regular group access. For groups to store and share research data that is not directly related to a specific research project.
Regular project access. For research activity that has a specific start date and end date,
Contract access. Faculties, institutes and research groups can request a contract.
This provides an environment in which the faculty/institute/group itself can manage early, project and group access.
A Service Level Agreement (SLA) will be established between ISSC and the faculty/institute/group.
Request access to Research Drive
If Research Drive seems to fit your purpose, you can request access on this page.
If you are still unsure whether Research Drive is the right tool for you, please contact ISSC by sending an email to <address>.