The SIOS Data Management Service (SDMS) integrates information from SIOS partner data repositories into a unified virtual data centre, the SIOS Data Access Portal, allowing users to search for and access data regardless of where they are archived. Providers and users have to commit to the SIOS data policy.

The current focus is on dataset discovery through standardised metadata, and retrieval, visualisation & transformation of data. Ultimately, the Data Management Service works towards integration of datasets which requires a high level of interoperability at the data level.

SDMS currently harvests information on SIOS relevant datasets from a number of data centres (see below), some hosted by SIOS partners and some not. Data centres hosted by SIOS partners work to harmonise access to the data allowing integrated visualisation etc for the relevant datasets.

If you use data retrieved through this portal, please acknowledge our funding source: Research Council of Norway, project number 291644, Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System – Knowledge Centre, operational phase.

Always remember to cite data when used!

Citation information for individual datasets is often provided in the metadata. However, not all datasets have this information embedded in the discovery metadata. On a general basis a citation of a dataset include the same components as any other citation:

• author,
• title,
• year of publication,
• publisher (for data this is often the archive where it is housed),
• edition or version,
• access information (a URL or persistent identifier, e.g. DOI if provided)

SIOS recommends all partner data repositories to mint Digital Object Identifiers (DOI) on all datasets. The information required to properly cite a dataset is normally provided in the discovery metadata the datasets.

In order to find SIOS Core Data please use the searchable item marked "Collection" on the right hand side of the map and select "SIOSCD". Quick access to SIOS Core Data is provided here.

The Nansen Legacy project is using the SIOS Data Management system as the data portal. Quick access to all Nansen Legacy related datasets is available here.

The Data Access Portal has information in 3 columns. An outline of the content in these columns is provided above. When first entering the search interface, all potential datasets are listed. Datasets are indicated in the map and results tabulation elements which are located in the middle column. The order of results can be modified using the "Sort by" option in the left column. On top of this column is normally relevant guidance information to user presented as collapsible elements.

If the user want to refine the search, this can be done by constraining the bounding box search. This is done in the map - the listing of datasets is automatically updated. Date constraints can be added in the left column. For these to take effect, the user has to push the button marked search. In the left column it is also possible to specific text elements to search for in the datasets. Again pushing the button marked "Search" is necessary for these to take action. Complex search patterns can be constructed using logical operators from the drop down above the text field and prefixing words with '+' to require their presence and '-' to require their non presence.

Other elements indicated in the left and right columns are facet searches, i.e. these are keywords that are found in the datasets and all datasets that contain these specific keywords in the appropriate metadata elements are listed together. Further refinement can be done using full text, date or bounding box constraints. Individuals, organisations and data centres involved in generating or curating the datasets are listed in the facets in the right column.