OpARA (Open Access Repository and Archive) is the repository for digital research data of the TU Dresden (TUD) and the TU Bergakademie Freiberg (TUBAF). It offers researchers the possibility of archiving their digital research data and optionally making it accessible to third parties under an Open Access license. For more information see the service description. Please, read the OpARA Terms of Use and the data retention guidelines before using OpARA services.

Service Description

Service Provider

OpARA is operated by the Center for Information Services and High Performance Computing of the TU Dresden (ZIH) in cooperation with the University Computing Centre of the TU Bergakademie Freiberg (URZ). Further information can be found in the OpARA Imprint .

Purpose

The service provider intends to preserve digital research data submitted to OpARA for archiving and to counteract the volatility of the data. The service provider guarantees the archiving and availability of the data for a period of at least ten years from the time of storage. In the event that the service is discontinued for an important, unavoidable reason, the service provider undertakes to preserve the data within the realms of possibilitiy and to make it available to the owner on request.

Access

The service is accessed via the service provider's server connected to the Internet. The users of the service are divided into authenticated users (via the login of the participating universities) and anonymous visitors.

Archiving and storage of data

Research data can be uploaded by authenticated users and released for archiving and/or publication. In addition, other digital objects, in particular metadata, can be stored in OpARA as part of an automated process.

After completion of the submission and review process, the data packages are stored with at least two copies in spatially separated tape archives. This ensures high reliability and recoverability of the data. The data protection regulations of the TU Dresden apply.

Publication of data

The uploaded data may be viewed and used by all users of the service within the scope of the license and access restrictions granted by the owner.

Open Access licenses allow free access to the data. However, the further use of the data can be regulated differently.

Data can also be stored in OpARA with access restrictions (e.g. for a certain group of people). Reasons could be, for example, nondisclosure agreements in industry-funded research or the protection of personal data.

The data stored in OpARA can be found by search engines, in particular by means of their metadata, provided that the access restrictions permit this.

Deletion of data

The data is archived for at least ten years. Subsequently, a further storage or deletion of the data is agreed with the data submitter or his legal successor.

Archived data can only be deleted before the 10-year or other agreed periods if serious reasons are given. A circumvention of the deletion by a possible blocking of or access control to the data must be clarified beforehand.

Consulting and Training

Consulting (e.g. to select research data to be archived, on data formats, or to select licenses) is recommended. You can make an appointment using Service Center Research Data .

The service center also offers training on the use of the service.

Use of the service

Users must accept the OpARA Terms of Use and follow the OpARA guidelines.

Costs

No costs are incurred for the submission of data by members of the TU Dresden and the TU Bergakademie Freiberg for an archival and/or publication period of ten years.

Data preservation guidelines

The minimum guaranteed archiving period is ten years, regardless of the content of the archived data.

The owner of the data can request a longer archiving period, e.g. 20 years, five years after the last retrieval or unlimited. This longer archiving period may entail additional costs. An unlimited period is only possible for data published under an Open Access licence.

Data that is archived under Open Access conditions is stored as demanded.

For archived data that is only accessible to a limited extent (e.g. limited circle of users or encrypted data), the owner is regularly asked (e.g. every five years) after expiry of the ten-year archiving period whether the data should still be kept. Only with positive feedback the data remain in the archive, otherwise they can be removed by the service operator.