First and foremost, the OpenAIRE Graph is a free and open resource backed by the European Commission and serves as the authoritative source for the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC). We do not take this role lightly and work every day to better the Graph and our services to meet the expectations of this position that our team has been entrusted with.
We highly value transparency and take the necessary extra steps to make sure you always know what’s going on in the OpenAIRE Graph, both in its implementation, and under the hood. Information on how the Graph is made, how to access it, and its functions can be easily accessed in our documentation. We also hold Community Calls on the third Wednesday of each month. These calls provide the context for our team to engage in open discussion with you, the community, on how the Graph is made, new developments, and case uses. Questions, suggestions, or feedback, the floor is yours! You can also stay up to date with developments in the Graph by following our Twitter.
The OpenAIRE Graph also hosts various types of data such as publications, datasets, software, other research products providing you with all types of research outcomes to help you in your projects and more Open Data for evaluation.
Rather than aggregating this data and directly disseminating it, the OpenAIRE Graph goes further and works to enhance data quality through deduplication and enrichment. Many graphs do the former which results in false figures such as the number of funders, publications, etc. setting the field for inaccurate monitoring and reporting. Through the deduplication process, we work to remove doubles or multiples of the same data. The data is then enriched, establishing links between elements to show not only relationships between themselves, but also to research organisations, researchers, funders, and other related entities, resulting in an enriched and comprehensive view of the Open Science research landscape.
To access this view, users can download the Graph dataset, access its API, or use one of OpenAIRE’s value-added services. The OpenAIRE dataset is extremely vast and requires a deep level of technical understanding to analyse. This knowledge barrier poses a problem for those that don’t possess the necessary skill sets and wish to take advantage of its wealth of information. To bridge this gap, OpenAIRE provides services that help you with accessing and analysing data in a user-friendly interface. For example, you can search for and access all research products, projects, data sources, and organisations in the Graph via EXPLORE, track and monitor your research projects with MONITOR, and provide a gateway to facilitate knowledge sharing within your community with CONNECT. Consult the service catalogue to see how you can use the Graph to advance your projects.
The OpenAIRE Graph is the epitome of a community-driven effort and technological advancement. With its infrastructure and services, we not only seek to make knowledge accessible to all, but strive to foster collaboration in the scientific community, all while aligning with and aiding the development of the Open Science landscape.