Data Protection & Privacy in the ODC
Structure & Data Access
The ODC is a protected space to store and share data with your colleagues and the public. Every dataset uploaded to the ODC is affiliated with a Verified Laboratory - meaning data stored on the ODC is created by individuals associated with a laboratory or research group at a recognized institution. The Lab Space is the exclusive, virtual home that represents a verified laboratory on the ODC. Each verified laboratory has its own Lab Space, controlled by a Principal Investigator (PI, head of the laboratory or research group at a recognized institution).
What's the difference between a Verified Laboratory and a Lab Space? In traditional research terms, think of a verified laboratory as your research group's identity (e.g., The Neuron Lab), whereas your lab space is akin to the physical lab itself (e.g., the rooms or building belonging to The Neuron Lab).
To upload data, a user must belong to a Lab Space on the ODC. If the data uploader belongs to multiple labs, they must choose which one their dataset belongs to; this affiliation cannot be changed after the dataset has been created. Access to unpublished data is protected and restricted through a combination of the user's Account Type and Lab Role(s) as well as the Data Storage Space: the Personal Space, Lab Space, Community Space, or Public Space. This authorization process was designed in response to community input and involves a 3 tier approval process for full privileges.
Public Data
A list of Public datasets (i.e., datasets that have undergone the review process and have been published with a DOI) can be viewed on the ODC without needing to create an account.
Click on the dataset title or DOI to view the metadata and available files related to the dataset.
Note: a Basic Access User Account (or higher) is required to download files from public datasets. Click these links to learn about the different account types or how to create an account.
Community, Lab, & Personal Data
Data stored in a Community, Lab, or Personal Space is not publicly available. To view and download data stored in these locations, a Community Access User Account or Full Access User Account is required.
Note: a Full Access User Account does not grant access to all data stored on the ODC. While Full Access Users can view all data in the Public and Community spaces, data stored in a Lab Space is only accessible to members of that laboratory. Additionally, data stored in a Member's Personal Space (nested within a Lab Space) is only accessible to the data uploader, and the PI/manager of the associated Lab Space. Access to each Lab Space is governed by an approval process controlled by the space's PI (or their designated manager) to ensure protection of unpublished data.
Creating an account is the first step to downloading or uploading data on the ODC. Users can create an account from the homepages of odc-sci.org or odc-tbi.org - if you are a member of both research communities, you will need to create an account on each site.
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