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Which Datasets Do I Need?

“If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there,” Lewis Carroll once said. Before diving into your dataset search, take a momentto focus your search. Here are five practical tips to guide you:

  • Choose optimal generality
  • Get rid of irrelevant outcomes
  • Refer to relevant publishers
  • Choose usable data formats
  • Avoid legal issues

Choosing Optimal Generality​

Datasets are typically tied to concepts of intermediate generality. Take the example of nature: it's a broad concept, making it too general for effective searching, while a term like rabbits may be too narrow.

If you're looking to observe broad phenomena, focus on more general concepts like forests, oceans, wild animals, or ecological indicators.

On the other hand, if your topic is too specific, try generalizing it. For instance, rabbits might fall under wild animals, domestic animals, companion animals, or pets.

Once you've identified the right level of generality, you're ready to craft a helpful search query.

Getting Rid of Irrelevant Outcomes​

Words can carry vastly different meanings depending on the domain. For instance, football means one thing in Europe and another in America, while tolerance can refer to biological, social, or political concepts.

To eliminate irrelevant results, narrow your search by defining specific areas of interest. Dateno provides several ways to focus your search:

  • Themes and topics: Classify datasets based on their subject matter, such as environmental monitoring or economic indicators.
  • Geographical tie-ins: Filter datasets by their associated countries, regions, or languages to target specific geographic areas.
  • Dataset catalog types: Identify catalogs, such as geoportals, open data portals, or scientific repositories, to find datasets aligned with your research focus.

Referring to Relevant Publishers​

Another powerful method is targeting datasets from trusted publishers. Relevant publishers often share these traits in Dateno:

By focusing on publishers with proven expertise, you can increase the chances of finding reliable and high-quality datasets.

Choosing Usable Data Formats​

When searching for datasets, consider how you intend to use the data. Here are some key questions:

  • Do you need tabulated data, such as spreadsheets or CSV files?
  • Are specific GIS formats required for mapping or spatial analysis?
  • Is it enough to read documents in formats like PDF or DOCX?
  • Would you prefer fetching data programmatically via a REST API?

Keep in mind that not all dataset cards include direct data files. Choosing specific formats will filter out datasets that lack data files entirely, but such datasets might still provide links to REST API endpoints.

Additionally, the data types of a dataset may serve as broader indicators of the dataset’s content, while formats provide more technical detail. For example, geodata is a data type, while Shapefile and GeoJSON are specific formats.

Datasets published in professional data formats often indicate a high level of proficiency by the publisher, particularly in specialized areas like geodata.

Different publishers release datasets under different licenses, and it's important to respect these terms to avoid legal trouble. Using a dataset in a way that violates its license could lead to complications.

Dateno allows you to filter datasets by license type. This feature helps you avoid datasets that you cannot use due to license restrictions. For instance, if you need data for commercial purposes, you can filter out datasets with licenses that prohibit such use. By selecting datasets with appropriate licenses, you ensure compliance and avoid wasting time on unusable data.