Version 4.0.0 of the CESSDA Data Catalogue (CDC) has been released, introducing a major upgrade: collections. These are thematic views that allow users to browse and search focused subsets of data by specific topics and issues. This enhancement significantly improves the user experience, offering more intuitive and relevant ways to explore Europe’s social science data landscape.

A New Way to Navigate the Catalogue: Collections

The new collections feature offers curated, topic-specific views into the broader CESSDA Data Catalogue. Each collection provides a focused browsing experience tailored to a specific research area. Currently, four collections are available:

• The CESSDA Data Catalogue: The master collection includes metadata for over 40,000 datasets from CESSDA Service Providers across more than 20 European countries.

• COORDINATE: A thematic portal focused on children and young people’s wellbeing as they grow up, originally developed under the COORDINATE project.

• BeYond-COVID (BY-COVID): A collection featuring studies on the social and psychological effects of SARS-CoV-2 and other infectious diseases.

• HumMingBird: The Migration Data Catalogue from the HumMingBird project, with datasets on migration flows and the drivers behind them.

Users can easily switch between these collections using the dropdown menu at the top of the CDC interface.

Background and Development

The CESSDA Data Catalogue has served as a central metadata hub for social science research data for over seven years. Built and maintained in collaboration with CESSDA’s Service Providers (SPs) and the CDC User Group, the platform has continuously evolved to meet the growing demands of users and metadata standards. However, the underlying technical infrastructure had begun to limit further innovation.

In parallel, the COORDINATE project, developed by CESSDA’s Finnish Service Provider, FSD, created a thematic catalogue focused on youth wellbeing. This project involved a significant technical overhaul of the CDC’s foundation. As COORDINATE neared completion, CESSDA’s Main Office, along with the CDC Service Owner (Sikt) and Technical Maintainer (FSD), identified an opportunity: to adopt and build upon the upgraded technical platform, ensuring the sustainability of the COORDINATE portal and extending the functionality of the CDC.

What began as a way to integrate one new thematic catalogue quickly evolved into a broader concept: a platform that could host multiple thematic collections. This idea was embraced by the CDC User Group, and following collaborative discussions, an agreement was reached to expand the CDC's scope. A third-party inclusion policy, outlining criteria for future collections, has been drafted and reviewed by the General Assembly, and is now being refined to align with CESSDA’s broader procedures.

Looking Ahead

The core of the CDC remains the metadata records provided by CESSDA’s Service Providers, and future developments will continue to be driven by their needs. However, with the new collections feature, the CDC is positioning itself as a broader and more inclusive hub for social science research data in Europe.

“This release marks a major milestone for the CDC. With collections, we’re not just upgrading the platform: we’re expanding its potential. It’s an exciting step towards a more accessible and dynamic catalogue that better serves our researchers, data providers, and European society as a whole.”
— Morten Jakobsen & Kristina Strand, CDC Service Owner