The US Department of Energy has launched the DOE Data Explorer (DDE), a tool to find scientific research data generated in the course of DOE-sponsored research in various science disciplines. The data that can be found include computer simulations, numeric data files, figures and plots, interactive maps, multimedia and scientific images.

The DOE Data Explorer includes a database of citations prepared by the Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) based on the information found at data-hosting web sites. It is intended to be particularly useful to students, the public, and to researchers who are new to a field or looking for experimental or observational data outside their normal field of expertise.

One can browse or search the database, then link to a data collection where it resides. Users will often find specialised search interfaces and software toolkits developed by the data owners. These allow the users to search deeper into the data files and help them understand, analyse and use the data within the context of their own research interests.

The publicly available data collections support DOE research results that are well documented in journal articles, conference literature and technical reports. Key DOE databases of R&D information are searchable through the Science Accelerator. The DOE Data Explorer will include enhanced search capabilities across specialised web sites as it continues to grow."

Source: Knowledgespeak Newsletter, July 4, 2008