Data Seal of Approval (DSA)

1. Data Seal of Approval (DSA) SEEDSKick-off meetingMay 5, LausanneRenate Kunz

2. Overview • DSA in a nutshell • Description of DSA and its history • Objectives • Principles • Stakeholders • 16 Guidelines • Procedure • Beyond DSA • Useful links

3. DSA in a nutshell • Lightweight, basic certification mechanism • 16 Guidelines for Trusted Digital Repositories • Self-assessment, no external auditors or site visit • Peer-reviewed process supervised by DSA Board • DSA granted for a period of two years • Online tool for self-assessment and review

4. Description of DSA and its history • Initiated by DANS in the Netherlands in 2005, first version presented in 2007 • Internationalized and handed over to international board in 2009 • First assessments done in 2010 • Now 40 repositories with the Data Seal • Started in social sciences and humanities but now expanding in other disciplines

5. Objectives • Assure data producers that their data are reliably managed and preserved • Instil confidence in funders that data in which they have invested will be available for re-use in the future • Provide a transparent view into repositories to enable data consumers to assess them • Reassurance for data repository itself

6. Principles The DSA is intended to ensure that data are: • Available on the Internet • Accessible • Usable (file formats) • Reliable • Citable (can be referred to)

7. Stakeholders Data Producer • Responsible for the quality of the digital data (3 Guidelines) Data Repository • Responsible for the quality of data storage & availability (10 Guidelines) Data Consumer • Responsible for the quality of use of the digital data (3 Guidelines)

8. 16 Guidelines (1-3)

9. 16 Guidelines (4-13)

10. 16 Guidelines (14-16)

11. Compliance • Minimum level of compliance for each guideline: • Must be met to receive the Data Seal of Approval

12. Procedure • Online tool: http://www.datasealofapproval.org • Applicant completes the initial application form and starts filling out the assessment. The DSA Board assigns a reviewer. • Once the assessment is finished and submitted, the reviewer typically completes the review within two months. • If there are any issues, the reviewer sends the assessment back to the applicant with a request for clarification or amendments and gives the applicant a deadline to respond. • If there are no further issues and all guidelines meet the minimum compliance level, the DSA is awarded!

13. Beyond DSA • Other frameworks for certification: • Basic Certification is granted to repositories which obtain DSA certification; • Extended Certification is granted to Basic Certification repositories which in addition perform an externally reviewed and publicly available self-audit based on ISO 16363 or DIN 31644 (NestorSeal); • Formal Certification is granted to repositories which in addition to Basic Certification obtain full external audit and certification based on ISO 16363 or equivalent DIN 31644 • Regular audit and certification cycle in place (DSA) Permanent monitoring and maintenance!

14. Useful links • Data Seal of Approval: http://datasealofapproval.org/en/ • Report on Peer Review of Digital Repositories: http://www.alliancepermanentaccess.org/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2014/06/APARSEN-REP-D33_1B-01-1_1_incURN.pdf • Certification for sustainable and trusted data repositories: http://datasealofapproval.org/media/filer_public/2014/10/03/20141003_dsa_overview_defweb.pdf • Nestor Seal: http://www.langzeitarchivierung.de/Subsites/nestor/EN/nestor-Siegel/siegel_node.html • ISO 16363: http://public.ccsds.org/publications/archive/652x0m1.pdf; http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_tc/catalogue_detail.htm?csnumber=56510