Open Data: Options for Researchers

Federal funders' responses to the OSTP memo (updated as they become available):

* Data must be available for at least 10 years

** Data management plan is required for digital projects

• Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's (AHRQ)
  • AHRQ's response to the OSTP's Public Access Memo.
• Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR)
  • ASPR's response to the OSTP's Public Access Memo.
• Department of Defense
  • DOD's Response to the OSTP's Public Access Memo
  • DOD Principles and Operational Parameters of the DoD Scientific and Technical Information Program
    "It is DoD policy under DoD Directive 3200.12 to establish and maintain a coordinated and comprehensive program to document the results and outcome of DoD-sponsored and/or performed research and engineering (R&E) and studies efforts and provide access to those efforts in an effective manner consistent with the DoD mission."
• Department of Energy
  • DOE's Response to the OSTP's Public Access Memo
  • DOE Statement on Digital Data Management Statement.
    The DOE's Office of Science began requiring a data management plan with all grant applications in October 2014. The agency notes that "Sharing and preserving data are central to protecting the integrity of science by facilitating validation of results and to advancing science...." However they note that "Not all data need to be shared or preserved. The costs and benefits of doing so should be considered in data management planning."
• Department of the Interior
  • United States Geological Society (USGS) data management guide
    "Data intended for public release are subject to USGS FSP review, approval, and release requirements."
• Department of the Transportation
  • DOT's Response to the OSTP's Public Access Memo
  • "In the DMP, researchers will propose their strategy(ies) to deposit Digital Data Sets resulting from DOT-funded Scientific Research in a repository that enables and allows for Public Access and sharing.... All Digital Data Sets subject to this plan will be inventoried in the DOT Public Data Listing, whether performed by intramural or extramural researchers."
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  • CDC's Response to the OSTP's Public Access Memo
  • CDC Policy on Sharing Data
  • "The purpose of CDC’s data release/sharing policy is to ensure that (1) CDC routinely provides data to its partners for appropriate public health purposes and (2) all data are released and/or shared as soon as feasible without compromising privacy concerns, federal and state confidentiality concerns, proprietary interests, national security interests, or law enforcement activities."
• Department of Education
  • Institute of Education Sciences (IES) data sharing policy
    "The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) expressed its commitment to advancing education research through the sharing of scientific data collected through its grant-funded research programs. The purpose of this data sharing implementation guide is to describe how this policy will be implemented and to provide guidance to grant applicants".
• Food and Drug Administration
  • FDA's response to the OSTP's Public Access Memo.
• National Institutes of Health
  • NIH's Response to the OSTP's Public Access Memo
  • NIH Data Sharing Policy, as of 2003, still current
  • For grants over $500,000, a data sharing plan must be included in the grant application and incorporated as a term and condition of the award. Final Research Data "should be made as widely and freely available as possible while safeguarding the privacy of participants, and protecting confidential and proprietary data".
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration
  • NASA's response to the OSTP's Public Access Memo
  • NASA Earth Science Statement on Data Management 
    "The data collected by NASA represent a significant public investment in research. NASA holds these data in a public trust to promote comprehensive, long-term Earth science research. Consequently, NASA developed policy consistent with existing international policies to maximize access to data and to keep user costs as low as possible. These policies apply to all data archived, maintained, distributed or produced by NASA data systems."
  • See example NASA Mission project data management plans
• National Endowment for the Humanities, Office of Digital Humanities
  • Office of Digital Humanities of NEH Data Management 2016
    "You'll note that we have aligned our data management requirements with those of the National Science Foundation to enable you to take advantage of data management resources that your institution may have already developed for applying to the NSF.
• National Institute of Standards and Technology
  • NIST Response to the OSTP's Public Access Memo
  • NIST Guidelines, Information Quality Standards, and Administration Mechanism
  • Per NIST, grantees are not subject to the data sharing guidelines listed in the "NIST Guidelines..." document unless NIST directly distributes the data.
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
  • NOAA Response to the OSTP's Public Access Memo
  • NOAA’s plan for data builds on the agency’s existing strong foundation for research data sharing. Currently, all intramural researchers are required to submit a Data Management Plan (DMP) outlining plans for providing access to and long-term preservation of any research data, while extramural researchers are required to submit a more light-weight Data Sharing Plan, covering plans for access only. These requirements will be adjusted to require all NOAA programs to consider requiring full DMP’s when researchers apply for NOAA funding.
• National Science Foundation
  • NSF's Response to the OSTP's Public Access Memo
  • NSF FAQ on Open Access Policy
  • NSF DMP Requirements Library Guide
    "[NSF] expects PIs to share with other researchers, at no more than incremental cost and within a reasonable time, the data, samples, physical collections and other supporting materials created or gathered in the course of the work." Researchers must describe how they will share their data in a written data management plan required in all grant applications since January 2011."
• United States Department of Agriculture
  • USDA's Response to the OSTP's Public Access Memo
  • USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)
    The NIFA requires a DMP will all research. They state: "Increased access to scientific research results (e.g., scholarly publications, digital data sets) from NIFA funded projects is critical to achieving NIFA’s vision to catalyze transformative discoveries, education, and engagement to address agricultural challenges. Therefore, an appropriate data management plan (DMP) should be a core component of research planning for proposals submitted to NIFA."
• US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
  • VA Policy and Implementation Plan (July 2015) in response to the OSTP's Public Access Memo
• Environmental Protection Agency
  • EPA Guidelines for Ensuring and Maximizing the Quality, Objectivity, Utility, and Integrity of Information Disseminated
  • Non-specific to sharing, rather, ensures "a basic standard of quality, including objectivity, utility, and integrity".

To locate requirements for agencies not listed here, we recommend searching the web and specifying government websites in addition to your keywords. For example, "site:gov atmospheric radiation". This will help you find funders at local, state and national levels with data management expectations.