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Advantages of Using the NII Research Data Cloud

The NII Research Data Cloud serves various stakeholders in different ways. It serves researchers throughout their research: 1) at the beginning of their research, scholars look for research data and engage in referencing using our CiNii Research discovery platform, 2) next, they store and share files on the research data management platform GakuNin RDM, and finally 3) they upload the research data and publication to the repository platform WEKO3. The NII Research Data Cloud also serves university libraries, data administrators, and other research supporting staff members at academic institutions by easing their workloads and allowing them concentrate on their core missions. The academic resources published on the infrastructure support the general public and industries based on their own needs.

Advantages for Different Stakeholders

Advantages for Researchers

Researchers can use the NII Research Data Cloud throughout their research activities. GakuNin RDM provides a platform that can be used to store and share various files with proper version and access control. It will also track file modifications automatically, thereby meeting the need for research transparency. Files are retained in the storage areas provided by the researcher's affiliated academic institution, thus preventing the data from being scattered.

Upon completion of a research project, researchers can easily copy files to the repository platform (WEKO3) in order to make the research publications and data openly available. WEKO3 provides both public and private spaces to facilitate secure storage of sensitive data. This allows researchers to comply with journal and funding agency requirements to provide evidence data to support their research publications, and the research itself. The discovery platform (CiNii Research) will inspire researchers to engage in new research, thereby enabling researchers to simultaneously recognize and acknowledge the stored research.


Advantages for Data Administrators (ICT Centers, DB administrators, etc.)

The NII Research Data Cloud provides platforms needed for academic institutions in our current era. Specifically, it provides a file management system in a secure environment, a repository platform for publishing data, and a discovery platform that makes academic resources more findable. By adopting this infrastructure, data administrators at academic institutions are freed from providing and maintaining such platforms themselves, and can concentrate on their core mission, which is to better serve the researchers in their institutions.
The infrastructure is customized to each institution by linking the system to GakuNin, the Shibboleth single sign-on service, and also by using the storage provided by each institution. NII and ICT centers at each institution will cooperate closely to meet these system requirements.


Advantages for University Libraries

University libraries can use the NII Research Data Cloud as a place to advise researchers on where and how to store and share files, publish research outputs, and look for new research materials. This is becoming increasingly necessary with growing research collaborations across various institutions, and the growing need for accountability and research transparency. Additionally, with the exponentially growing number of research publications and data, researchers are in desperate need of an appropriate discovery tool that will enable to find the right publication and data for their research. NII Research Data Cloud will serve these needs.
At the same time, support from the university libraries is needed for curating and adding proper metadata in order to make the academic resources findable and reusable.


Advantages for Universities and Research Institutions

The research data management platform GakuNin RDM provides academic institutions with a secure platform for storing and managing academic resources within the institution. This is especially necessary, in terms of accountability and research transparency purposes, whenever academic institutions are responsible for research outputs within their institution.
The repository platform (WEKO3) and discovery platform (CiNii Research) provides a base where academic institutions can publish their research outputs, and thus present the institution's scholarly achievements to the public. Academic institutions are expected to encourage affiliated researchers to archive their research outputs on the platform.

Advantages for Industries and the General Public

Industries and the general public can access various academic resources (e.g., research publications, data, etc.) produced in Japan through the NII Research Data Cloud. The diverse research topics at Japanese academic institutions are sure to provide useful insights for industrial and social needs as well. It is expected that researchers and frontline needs will become connected via the NII Research Data Cloud, thereby leading to new developments in solving local problems and industrial innovations.


Advantages for Japan

It is the responsibility of the country Japan to make the outputs of the nation's publicly-funded research available to the public. The country is also responsible for providing a secure base for academic resources produced within the country in order to ensure that these do not become scattered over time. The NII Research Data Cloud will provide a base where academic resources produced within the country are securely stored and preserved over the long term. It will also make Japanese academic resources available to the public, thereby showcasing Japanese research to interested parties within and outside Japan.