Data Commons

Data Commons is a cloud-based platform from CyVerse designed to make scientific data searchable, discoverable, computable, and reusable. It is built for researchers who need to access, create, manage, curate, publish, and reuse data in alignment with FAIR data principles — Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable — and who want to support open, reproducible science.

Unlike traditional repositories where data can become stagnant and siloed, Data Commons keeps data tightly integrated with the broader CyVerse cyberinfrastructure. This means data published through the platform remains easily accessible for analysis across CyVerse tools such as the Discovery Environment and VICE, CACAO cloud automation, and the Science APIs.

Core Capabilities

• Browse or download public data without requiring a user account
• Publish data to the Data Commons Portal or to NCBI (SRA or WGS)
• Request a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) for stable, permanently citable datasets
• Access CyVerse Curated Data — stable datasets issued a permanent DOI — as well as Community Released Data managed by community members
• Find and use templates for writing and applying metadata
• Leverage full-text indexing for enhanced data searching
• Use ontologies and community standards for metadata to improve data quality and interoperability

Data Lifecycle Support

• Supports data management activities both before and after publication
• Facilitates open science practices throughout the research workflow
• Helps researchers manage research projects from data creation through long-term reuse
• Champions the use of community metadata standards and ontologies to ensure data remains meaningful and interoperable over time

Getting Started

1. Publish your data to the Data Commons or to NCBI
2. Request a DOI for your dataset
3. Access publicly available data on the platform
4. Find metadata templates to structure and describe your data appropriately

Data Commons operates under the Data Commons User Agreement and the CyVerse Data Policy, which outline the available options for publishing and managing data within the CyVerse ecosystem. The platform is part of CyVerse's broader Open Science Workspace for collaborative, data-driven discovery.