Constellation FAQs

What is Constellation?

The Constellation research data repository is a service of the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility (OLCF) that allows users to publish and download open access datasets associated with research projects conducted within, or in coordination with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Data submissions may be from any scientific domain. Datasets are carefully reviewed and then made available to researchers and the public around the world. 

For questions and help with data deposits, email doi_support@ornl.gov.

What is a DOI? How do I use one?

Datasets are assigned a permanent Digital Object Identifier (DOI) and submitted to DOE's Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) for inclusion in the DOE Data Explorer. A DOI is a unique and persistent alphanumeric identifier used to identify and resolve digital "objects" such as articles, reports, and datasets. The OLCF's Constellation data repository allows public users to browse, search, and download objects associated with these assigned DOIs.

Only authenticated users may create and publish DOIs via Constellation, and all submitted documents and data will be subject to review and approval by ORNL staff prior to publication.

Once a dataset has been approved and submitted to OSTI, the associated DOI will be registered and become available for use as a pointer to the dataset landing page. Include the dataset DOI in citations and related publications in the format "https://doi.org/<doi_here>" (ex. https://doi.org/10.13139/OLCF/1336638).

What is the mission of Constellation?

Constellation's mission is to curate, publish, and archive digital research data from any discipline. We provide long-term public access to support research transparency, reproducibility, and to foster new discoveries. Our service is designed to help research data meet the FAIR Guiding Principles (i.e., Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable).

Why am I getting an error when I try to download a dataset?

In certain circumstances when retrieving data from Constellation, users may encounter errors generated by the Globus data movement software. These errors often do not indicate a serious problem with data transfer; they may reflect data movement delays within Constellation's storage infrastructure or temporary Globus outages. Users encountering such issues are encouraged to retry any failed download requests after a short wait. If errors persist, please contact OLCF User Support.