News about research data management

Secure data infrastructures in research

In the OSSDIP project framework, Martin Weise is investigating how data visits can strengthen research.

A male person sits at a desk and holds a block of eight mini-computers in his hands.

© Josef Taha

Martin Weise with his reference implementation cluster composed of eight ODROID-C4 single-board computers.

In the current issue of the IT Magazine of the Austrian Computer Society on the topic of "Young IT Researchers in Austria", an article on Martin Weise's dissertation subject has been published, in which he introduces the basic principle of secure data infrastructures in research to a large readership. The topic is embedded in the Open Source Secure Data Infrastructure and Processes, opens an external URL in a new window (OSSDIP) project.

Due to the advancing digitalisation, which leads to the collection and storage of data in every area of life, special precautions have to be taken to ensure the protection of the privacy of individuals and organisations. Many of these - often sensitive - data sets exist locally with data owners but are inaccessible to individual researchers. Insight combined with ways to analyse these datasets can be particularly helpful in answering research questions, but it is proving complex to prevent data from leaving the data owners' infrastructure.

To illustrate these technical components and complex processes and to be able to present them as a reference implementation in teaching, Martin Weise is currently working on a technical blueprint for test operations that can be set up locally with little configuration, as well as on a physical reference implementation cluster. The cluster consists of eight single-board computers (see picture) that illustrate the responsibilities of roles during operation.

Further information

The full article in German can be read in issue 01/2023 of the OCG Journal: https://www.ocg.at/sites/ocg.at/files/medien/pdfs/OJ2023-01.pdf, opens an external URL in a new window (pages 18-19). Further information can be found on the project website https://www.ifs.tuwien.ac.at/infrastructures/ossdip/, opens an external URL in a new window. Requests for collaboration and general questions about the project are welcome and can be sent directly to martin.weise@tuwien.ac.at.

Contact

TU Wien
Center for Research Data Management
Favoritenstraße 16 (top floor), 1040 Vienna

research.data@tuwien.ac.at

Twitter: @RDMTUWien