RDM Services
The core mission of the Data Center for the Humanities (DCH) is to provide advice, guidance, and active support to all scholars in the Faculty of Arts and beyond on issues related to research data management (RDM) in the humanities. During one-on-one consultations, DCH staff members seek to gather information about a project and/or specific concern, as well as the relevant context, in order to provide tailored advice, facilitate connections, or develop solutions based on this information. Such a consultation process may ultimately involve several joint meetings; there is no time limit.
General RDM Consulting | Inquiries via email: ✉
If you have questions about specific aspects of research data management related to your research, the DCH will be happy to advise you. We can assist you with grant applications, data management plans, the digital publication of research data, licensing, data backup during a project, archiving, data security, technical solutions, and the preservation of living resources. More information.
Application Assistance | Inquiries via email: ✉
The DCH advises and supports you in developing your grant proposal, drafting RDM text modules, and creating data management plans, regardless of the funding agency. In addition to assistance with wording or the review of text sections on research data management, the DCH can also handle RDM aspects as part of its involvement in your grant application. More information.
Project-Based RDM | Inquiries via email: ✉
The DCH actively supports you in properly managing research data throughout a project. This includes, among other things, recommending and arranging storage options, developing workflows (e.g., for collaborative work), providing support for curating and enriching your data, designing and implementing backup routines, as well as planning and implementing a comprehensive RDM strategy for your project. More information.
RDM Onboarding/Offboarding | Request via Email ✉
With its RDM onboarding and offboarding services, the DCH offers support at the beginning and end of a project. The services are divided into different levels of support and include, for RDM onboarding, the development, planning, and practical implementation of RDM (sub-)workflows, and, for RDM offboarding, the development of publication and archiving strategies. More information.
Resource Support | Inquiries via email: ✉
Living resources include project websites, interactive visualizations, dynamic applications, tools, and databases—including access layers to research data. The DCH can advise you on identifying ways to ensure long-term, low-maintenance accessibility and reusability of these resources. In some cases, the DCH may also take over management of such resources. More information
Archiving | Inquiries via email: ✉
The DCH actively advises and supports you in archiving research data. The DCH can handle the long-term, institutional archiving of research data collections—particularly non-public data—using magnetic tape archiving at the IT Center of the University of Cologne (ITCC). In addition, the DCH operates the Language Archive Cologne (LAC), a repository for audiovisual language data.
Data Publication Services | Request via email: ✉
The DCH offers data publication in selected external systems as a service. In addition to providing guidance on data publication, the DCH also offers automated workflows for publishing large volumes of datasets, for example, on Zenodo or the systems of the German Archaeological Institute (DAI) (in collaboration with the African Archaeology Archive Cologne (AAArC)). More information.
Audiovisual (AV) Data | Inquiries via email: ✉
The DCH has proven expertise, particularly in the field of AV speech data and the associated metadata. The Language Archive Cologne (LAC) provides access to AV data, which is prepared and published there, including expert processing. The DCH also contributes this area of expertise to the CLARIN Knowledge Center for Linguistic Diversity and Language Documentation (CKLD).
Data Interfaces | Inquiries via email: ✉
The publication of data via documented application programming interfaces (APIs) is a central component of our data publication strategy. The DCH provides data via REST and GraphQL interfaces. A key focus is the publication of lexical resources, particularly for non-European languages: C-SALT APIs for Dictionaries, Kosh – APIs for Dictionaries.
As a general rule, we provide advice and support throughout every phase of your project. However, the earlier we are brought on board, the better and more comprehensively we can advise you or oversee your project. Please also note that the long-term preservation of resources beyond the scope of project funding can entail considerable administrative, technical, and ultimately financial costs, and therefore not every project can be implemented on a blanket basis. However, it is possible to apply various sustainability models tailored to the financial framework and based on an assessment of long-term requirements.