The DataFinder software is being developed by the University of Oxford to provide a searchable catalogue of research data generated or compiled by members of the University. It will form one part of a research data management infrastructure, enabling the University to comply with funder requirements regarding the preservation, curation, and re-use of data outputs. The software should be useable (with minimal modifications) by other Higher Education institutions as well, either to track their own research data assets or more broadly as a metadata catalogue.

DataFinder can be used to:

• Search and Browse for datasets in harvestable data repositories.
• Find datasets that will be useful in particular research contexts: the DataFinder metadata schema includes fields for dataset descriptions, information about how the data was generated, subject disciplines, information about the people responsible for the data, links to publications, and much more.
• Register the existence of datasets, whether in electronic or physical formats.
• Provide information about how to access the data. Finding details of a dataset via Data Finder does not guarantee access to that dataset: each dataset will have its own access terms and conditions.

DataFinder is being designed in particular to act as a counterpart to the DataBank software (https://github.com/dataflow/RDFDatabank) that is being created by the University of Oxford to act as its research data archive, and this will be reflected in the similar interface designs.

DataFinder is being developed as part of the Data Management Roll-out at Oxford (Damaro) project (http://damaro.oucs.ox.ac.uk), which is funded by the JISC as part of their Managing Research Data Programme (http://www.jisc.ac.uk/whatwedo/programmes/mrd.aspx).

Questions about the Damaro Project should be addressed to damaro@it.oucs.ox.ac.