Help!

Problems with this directory are the responsibility of the Data Commons Cooperative. Please believe we are not deliberately setting out to ruin your day and make your blood boil. If we had but world enough and time, and you didn't have any allergies, we'd arrange for fluffy kittens to gambol around your feet whenever you chose to visit, and we'd have a team of enthusiastic researchers on call to find whatever you needed. Unfortunately we've made the questionable decision to use computers instead, inevitably leading to sadness and ill-feeling. When that happens, please contact us! We're a helpful bunch, when not hiding behind a computer.

How up-to-date is the information I find in this directory?

The directory is curated by small teams of moderators from various member organizations of the Data Commons Co-op. At the start of any listing, you should see a note about when it was last updated. Anything older than a year or two is not likely to be accurate. Each listing will also give all editors of that listing. Listings with editors are more likely to be accurate.

I found an organization I don't like in your directory. Why is it there?

If the listing for that organization says it is in the “data pool” of such-and-such, that shows which of our co-op members have approved it. If there is no language like that, then nobody is very attached to it, it just wafted in on the breeze.

Can I get access to the database that runs this directory?

Access to the database is currently limited to members of the Data Commons Cooperative. We encourage you to apply for membership to get complete access (including the full database, plus full database history since DCC incorporation, plus contributed data in source format from members, plus continuous updates for the duration of your membership).

Can I use the software that runs this directory?

Be our guest! The Data Commons Directory software is available under a free license at github.com/datacommons/stonesoup. There are elderly tips on installing it on Cultivate. We'd appreciate if you share improvements you make to the software. If you need to integrate the directory with an existing website, and don't have a team in place to do it, we may be able to put you in touch with a co-op familiar with the software that is available to do the work - contact us (or check the fine print at the bottom of any page for leads).

How is all this work paid for?

Membership fees of the Data commons Cooperative. Along the way, we've had wonderful help from funders and volunteers, check the acknowledgments at the bottom of this page, and the list on our donation page.

Hmm, there's a problem. Any ideas, Benjamin?


Nothing a few more alligators won't fix, Jim. Paul, what's the release date on the next batch of alligators?


[gentle snore]


I've a better idea for where we should release the alligators.