About the Data Catalog

The NYU Data Catalog facilitates researchers’ discovery of data by providing a searchable and browsable online collection of datasets. Rather than functioning as a data repository, the catalog is a digital way-finder for researchers looking for datasets relevant to their work. It includes datasets generated by NYU researchers as well as publicly available and licensed datasets that are managed by external organizations (e.g., the Bureau of Labor Statistics).

The NYU Data Catalog is designed to:

• Increase the visibility of research data generated by NYU researchers
• Facilitate collaboration across departments and institutes at NYU
• Help NYU researchers locate and understand datasets generated at external organizations
• Support the re-use of research data in secondary analysis

If you are interested in submitting a dataset to the NYU Data Catalog, would like to suggest additional datasets for inclusion, or are willing to serve as a local expert, we would love to hear from you. Researchers are responsible for complying with institutional and federal policy related to data sharing. To get in touch, please use the Contact Us form or reach out via email to DL_datacatalog@nyulangone.org.

The code used to create the NYU Data Catalog is open source and available via GitHub. Documentation and further information are available via OSF. If you would like to create a similar catalog, please use the Contact Us form or reach out via email to DL_datacatalog@nyulangone.org to learn more about the multi-institution Data Discovery Collaboration.

The NYU Data Catalog is supported in part by NYU CTSA grant UL1 TR001445 from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health.

Including the NYU Data Catalog in DMPs

If you are writing a grant application and plan to share your data (via a public repository, lab hosted server, by request, etc.) and make it discoverable through the NYU Data Catalog, sample language that can be inserted into your data sharing plan or the data sharing section of your data management plan (DMP) can be found below. For NIH Data Management and Sharing plans, this text can be included under Element 4.

• Data from this project will be shared in [NAME OF REPOSITORY OR SERVER] and described with rich metadata in the NYU Data Catalog (https://datacatalog.med.nyu.edu/) to increase the findability and usefulness of the datasets.

OR


• Data from this project will be shared in [NAME OF REPOSITORY OR SERVER] and described in the NYU Data Catalog (https://datacatalog.med.nyu.edu/) with rich metadata (including: description, keywords, format of dataset, instrumentation or software utilized/required, and information about who can access each dataset and how) to increase the findability and usefulness of the datasets.

The Data Discovery Collaboration

The Data Discovery Collaboration was created to facilitate the discovery of research data that are difficult to find, with the goal of enhancing the discovery of data and other research products in order to maximize their value. The DDC is a multi-institutional consortium that has implemented local projects, programs, or technologies to index and make available data. This collaboration brings a cross-institutional perspective to addressing usability, data sharing workflows, metadata, and outreach for improving data discovery efforts. To learn more about our accomplishments, our publications, and how to join, please visit the DDC website.

Sharing Datasets

NYU researchers can now view and share descriptions of datasets that will be exclusively shown to other NYU faculty and staff! This internal, NYU-only data discovery and sharing feature enables PIs to share pre-publication data to collaborate with NYU colleagues and learn about their colleagues’ ongoing work. Descriptions of pre-publication datasets will be made available to NYU faculty and staff only, and access to the data is only granted with the PI’s consent.

If you would like to share your data only with NYU faculty and staff, please contact the NYU Data Catalog team using the Contact Us form or via email at DL_datacatalog@nyulangone.org.

The Genome Technology Center has adapted this feature to help researchers share descriptions of pre-publication data with NYU colleagues while retaining control of who accesses the data itself.

To opt in, you can either:

• Indicate your interest through a new checkbox on the Genome Technology Center iLab project request form
• Complete this REDCap form to have NYU Data Catalog staff contact you with further information

If you have any questions, please contact the NYU Data Catalog team at DL_datacatalog@nyulangone.org.

Meet the Team

Nicole Contaxis

Data Librarian, Head of Data Sharing and Metadata Management

Nicole Contaxis, MLIS, MA, is the Head of Data Sharing and Metadata Management and Lead for the NYU Data Catalog at the NYU Health Sciences Library. She works alongside the research community to improve data sharing and findability. Her work focuses on research data infrastructure, research data practices, ethics, and policy. Nicole is a former National Digital Stewardship Resident at the National Library of Medicine. She received her MLIS from UCLA, and her MA in Bioethics from NYU.

Michelle Yee

Research Data and Metadata Management Librarian

Michelle Yee, MPH, leads day-to day operations of the NYU Data Catalog. In her role as a data librarian, she helps researchers align their research data management and sharing practices to meet broader community standards and policies. Prior to joining the Health Sciences Library, Michelle supported clinical research at the Clinical and Translational Science Institute. She received an MPH in Epidemiology from NYU School of Global Public Health.

Ummea Urmi

Data Catalog Coordinator

Ummea Urmi, MS, works with NYU researchers in the basic sciences to make their data more discoverable through the NYU Data Catalog. Ummea has previously worked at a neuroscience lab at Columbia University through the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. She received her MS in Toxicology from St. John’s University for which she was the recipient of the Clare Boothe Luce Fellowship.

Ian Lamb

Senior Solutions Developer

Ian Lamb is a full-stack web developer at the NYU Health Sciences Library and is the principal developer of our data catalog. He focuses on building friendly and usable systems to advance the institution’s clinical, educational, and research goals.