Dataverse

Dataverse is an open-source data repository software platform designed to publish, share, preserve, cite, and download research data. It is used by universities, data archives, journals, and research projects to manage datasets, attach metadata, and enable data reuse.

The Dataverse Project was developed by the Institute for Quantitative Social Science at Harvard University. It provides a framework for organizing data into datasets and collections, attaching rich metadata, assigning persistent identifiers such as DOIs, and supporting data curation and long-term preservation.

Key features include dataset versioning, access control, file storage, and licensing options. It supports metadata schemas for describing data, data use agreements, and automated data citation. The platform offers REST APIs and tools to link to citation services, ORCID, and Crossref.

Dataverse can be deployed as a self-hosted installation or used as a hosted service. It is written in Java and typically uses PostgreSQL for data management, with a modular architecture that separates dataset and file management from storage and preservation functions.

Harvard's Dataverse network is among the largest examples, but many universities and national data centers host their own instances. The ecosystem supports disciplines ranging from social sciences to biology and earth sciences and emphasizes data sharing, reproducibility, and long-term access.

Dataverse supports open data practices while allowing controlled access for sensitive data, provides versioned datasets, and enables data citation through DOIs or other persistent identifiers.