FIND, USE, REFER
SIMPLY

Estonian Research and Cultural Data Infrastructure

Estonian Research and Cultural Data Infrastructure (ERCDI) makes data visible. The infrastructure connects ten institutions that are engaged in making data accessible and usable. The infrastructure, created in synergy with ETKAD partners, brings the rich Estonian culture and scientific material, including its data potential, to wider public and scientific use and creates modern opportunities for scientists, students, and researchers for data analysis. E-varamu will continue with the rescue and digitization of scientific collections, the consolidation and mediation of the material and metadata of central scientific and cultural databases. Technological solutions will be improved that ensure the timeliness of data and the user-friendliness of the system. The HUM data laboratory to be created will provide tools for data analysis, the presentation of research progress and results. DataCite Estonia will ensure the international visibility and findability of Estonian scientific data with its repository and DOI service, and support the implementation of the principles of open science and data management.

Find data from E-varamu

Explore workflows: HUM data lab

Get DOI for your data: DataCite

Estonian cultural heritage
in one place, with one search

E-Varamu brings together the digitized collections of Estonian memory institutions, allowing you to search, find and use digitized cultural and scientific materials in one portal.

Learn from others’ workflows

The HUM Data Lab supports researchers and interested parties who can learn from the experiences of others and manage, analyze, and share their research process.

Find and share research data

DataCite Estonia helps researchers assign DOIs to their datasets so that they are permanently findable, citationable, and internationally usable.

ERCDI: Data ready for research

Common ecosystem – E-varamu, HUM data lab, and DataCite work together, but each module of the infrastructure can also be used separately.

Researcher-centered design – we develop solutions in collaboration with researchers so that they fit into real research processes.

Global visibility – International standards and open science principles give Estonian data a global reach.

About the structure and board of ERCDI

How does ERCDI help researchers?

Analysis Center for Humanities Data

– Introduces the researchers' work process step by step.
– Creates an overview of Estonian humanities datasets.
– Provides support for data query, analysis, and visualization.

What does this mean for a researcher?

– You can experiment with digital methods without having to build a complex IT infrastructure yourself.
– You can see what best practices other researchers have used.
– By participating in the lab, you can make your research available to others in accordance with the principles of open science.

Centre for research and cultural data

– Digitizes and preserves collections necessary for research (texts, images, audio, video, objects).
– Manages a centralized database and provides API-based access to metadata and raw data.
– Ensures long-term access, high-quality formats and international compatibility (Europeana).

What does this mean for a researcher?

– You can search and find the necessary source materials in one place.
– You use the data with your own tools, including the HUM data lab environment for data analysis.
– You can order digitization based on the needs of your research project.

International referencing and preservation

– Issues DOIs to make data permanently referable and easily findable.
– Provides a data repository service for secure storage.
– Participates in the DataCite network, ensuring the international availability of Estonian data.

What does this mean for a researcher?

– Your dataset will receive a unique and permanent reference (DOI) that is recognized by scientific journals and international data platforms.
– The data remains available even after the project ends.
– An easy way to follow open science and FAIR principles.

News

  • Join HUM data lab hackathon

    Registration is open for the HUM data lab bringing together humanities researchers, students, developers, designers, and anyone interested in experimenting with cultural and research data in a collaborative, hands-on format. The hackathon will take place on April 17-19 in Estonian Literary Museum (Vanemuise 42, Tartu). Over the course of the weekend, 6–8 teams will work with selected humanities datasets to develop prototypes, new perspectives, and exploratory use cases. The goal is not a polished final product, but learning, experimentation, and demonstrating what becomes possible when data is actively explored.

View all