Submitting a Dataset

The datasets in the GREO Evidence Centre (EC) are held in a secure environment that conforms to industry best practices and maintains data integrity and longevity. It is housed using Canadian servers at Scholars Portal at the University of Toronto and hosted on Dataverse - a platform designed at Harvard University.

What type of data does GREO accept for deposit in the Evidence Centre?

Dataset materials must fulfill the following criteria to be deposited into the EC:

• Materials must be in digital form and be the final version (not draft); and

• All confidential or identifying information must be aggregated and/or anonymized prior to submission. 

GREO operates according to standard data management practices and uses a procedure based on best practices in the field with a focus on sustainable, long-term preservation of data.

Once a dataset has been received, GREO will:

• Review the dataset to ensure that all required materials have been included in the submission;

• Gather the information, or metadata, integral to understanding and using the dataset;

• Validate the data against supporting documentation (e.g. ensure that variable names and codes in the data file match those in the codebooks);

• Create codebooks if none are available;

• Transform the dataset into a preservation friendly format, which includes ensuring data anonymization and performing file format conversions;

• Create a record for the dataset on the Evidence Centre platform and organize and upload all dataset materials;

• Set access permissions as required;

• Release the dataset for public discovery and reuse. 

While GREO will work with you to preserve any file format, 'open' non-proprietary formats are preferred since they promote data interoperability and reuse. Some examples of preferred file formats are listed below.

Data:

• Comma separated values (.csv)

• Plain text (.txt)

• Generic data file (.dat)

• ASCII (.asc)

Textual documents:

• PDF (.pdf)

• Plain text (.txt)

• Rich text format (.rtf)

• XML (.xml or XHMTL)

Digital Images:

• TIFF version 6 uncompressed (.tif)

• JPEG (.jpeg)

• PDF (.pdf)

• Raw image format (.raw)

Moving Images:

• TIFF version 6 uncompressed (.tif)

• Mpeg_4 (.mp4)

• Avi (.avi)

• JPEG 2000 (.mj2)

Is there any limit to the size of the file I can submit?

The platform software has an individual file size limit of 2 GB. If you have files larger than 2 GB, GREO will work with you to deposit the data.

You can choose to make your dataset visible to anyone or only to certain people. You can select from the following access choices:

• Metadata and data open;

• Metadata open and data locked; or

• Metadata and data locked.

You may also choose to set special permissions or conditions for the users of your dataset materials. Please use the Depositor Template to indicate whether special permissions or conditions pertain to your dataset. If your dataset is under an embargo, you can deposit it into the repository but not release it to public view until the conclusion of the embargo period. The embargo period may be undefined but not unlimited. Potential data users will be required to request access to any restricted data and you will have the opportunity to review these access requests.

Descriptive information about the dataset is required to support the understanding, discovery, and reuse of the dataset. Descriptive metadata includes, but is not limited to:

• Title;
• Authors/contributors;
• Date the data was collected or analyzed;
• Description of research project;
• Keyword;
• Funding agency;
• Geographic coverage;
• Research methodology;
• Data processing/cleaning information; and
• Citations of publications pertaining to the dataset.

The Depositor Template is provided to help guide you in developing metadata for your dataset. Metadata elements and descriptions are included in the template (NOTE: not every element may apply to your dataset). Please fill in as much information in the Depositor Template as possible. GREO will provide a Depositor Template to you upon receiving a completed Request to Deposit Data Form.