Detailed description of the service 

Service’s Capabilities:

Ellen’s RESODATE is a service that aids in the search and discovery of research data artifacts, utilizing knowledge graphs to organize software and data for specific applications. On the basis of formalized methodological knowledge and semantic metadata, the research data artefacts that are related to a problem or task to be addressed can be identified.

Added Value for the User:

Searching for research data artifacts, such as software, data, workflows and text publications, based on clearly defined research tasks and methods enables a targeted search for information. Currently, the meaning and purpose of an artifact is recorded in metadata fields such as “Scope” or “Purpose” in the form of free text descriptions. These can only be searched using keywords without a semantic reference, which generally leaves a lot of room for interpretation and misunderstandings. The use of semantic metadata and well-defined concepts will make more information available in less time.

Service’s Suitability:

Ellen’s RESODATE is ideal for researchers, academics, and students who need to find and reuse research software and data along with related documentation and supplementary material to perform their individual computational analyses. The task- and problem-oriented search and discovery of research data artifacts is intended to supplement current search services and thus be available to everyone.

Typical Use Cases:

The main use case is the search for research data artifacts and methodological knowledge that helps to solve a specific problem or to fulfill a clearly defined task. All relevant materials, whether text publications, data, software, or documentation, should be found regardless of the artifact type.

Strengths of the Service:

The strength of this approach lies in the availability of formalized methodological knowledge. Research data artifacts can be directly related to clearly defined tasks and problems, making them findable in a more targeted way than is possible with current metadata descriptions.

Weaknesses of the Service:

The conceptual descriptions and definitions of research tasks and methods within the engineering sciences must be based on a broad consensus within the research community in order to be used broadly to categorize and classify research data. The corresponding integration of the definitions into existing ontologies is a time-consuming process.