Edinburgh Napier University

  The paper places data and document access, use and exploration systems in the context of the Data Observatories movement, as well as the document repository systems now becoming mandated for universities. It will show how taking these developments in a positive and responsive manner can not only create tools that are of genuine value to researchers in distributing and communicating their work, but add materially to the speed and productivity during a project comprising the distributed research teams that are becoming the norm in transport projects and research.

Direct interactive access and exploration of the major European freight data bases was achieved in this project, and illustrations are included showing how this data
can be explored and used effectively of a geospatial as well as tabular and graphical way instead of just being made accessible as an anonymous download requiring
major effort to get into a form that can be understood and used effectively.

This work builds on previous studies of data gaps in transport (Wigan et al, 2003) where data discovery and the costs of securing copies and understanding how to get them running figured highly in consultations.