Introduction

One of the striking properties of current e-Research projects is unprecedented data intensity. Astronomy, chemistry, geology and archaeology rely on network technologies, automated instruments, image-capture techniques and simulation software. These technologies have a vast impact on the way scientists conduct and disseminate their research. Hey and Treffenden (2003) speak of a ‘data deluge’ and note that scientists currently “generate several orders of magnitude more data than has been collected in the whole of human history” (p.3). For many scientific communities, curation and continued accessibility of such vast quantities of research data poses a challenge. Unfortunately, much data that are produced, often at high costs, also get lost.