The St Helena Research Institute works with other key stakeholders and the research community to help support the collection, long-term preservation, and responsible use of data arising from research conducted on St Helena.
We recognise that research data can be sensitive and that intellectual property rights must be protected. However, open access to raw datasets when managed responsibly is essential to ensure that local stakeholders fully benefit from research efforts. Accessible data helps prevent duplication, highlights opportunities for collaboration, and ensures that valuable findings are not lost to the Island due to lack of availability or overly summarised publication formats.
If underpinned by clear access management agreements, storing datasets within a central repository can be of mutual benefit to all stakeholders, revealing potential synergies between projects and enabling multidisciplinary and meta-analytical research that is beyond the scope of individual projects.
Data sharing
Many academic journals now require that original datasets be deposited in open-access repositories as a condition of publication. In line with these growing global standards, data-sharing requirements are also being introduced across the UK Overseas Territories, including St Helena.
The St Helena Research Institute supports responsible data sharing that balances transparency with the need to protect sensitive information and the rights of data providers. We encourage researchers to consider data-sharing plans from the outset of their projects and to engage with us early on to ensure their datasets can be stored, accessed, and used in ways that maximise local impact and long-term value.
Exemptions
St Helena Government recognises that, due to their size, or format, some datasets may not be suitable for archiving on-Island. In such cases, researchers are still encouraged to submit metadata describing the dataset, along with details of where and how the full dataset can be accessed, if available. Some datasets may also need post-processing to contextualise them.
Metadata Form
To support good data stewardship and ensure local benefit from research, all researchers are encouraged to complete the St Helena Metadata Form. This form allows you to document key details about your dataset, including its content, format, and any access restrictions.
The metadata form should be submitted to the St Helena Research Institute in compliance with your research.
Submit forms to Data Manager: selene.gough@sainthelena.edu.sh
Biodiversity and Environment
Mapping St Helena’s Biodiversity and Natural Environment (DPLUS052)
The project focused on the production of St Helena’s most comprehensive environment maps showing the functioning of habitats and soils; creating an accessible digital system to utilise RS for now and future ecosystem services monitoring.
Natural Capital in the Caribbean and South Atlantic Overseas Territories
St Helena Government (SHG), the South Atlantic Environmental Research Institute (SAERI), and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) have collaborated to develop Web GIS maps that illustrate areas of natural capital and their projected outputs across key sectors on St Helena.
As small islands, the United Kingdom’s inhabited Overseas Territories are home to around 250,000 people who depend heavily on the natural environment for their economic well-being and long-term security. Recognising this, JNCC and its partners have pioneered the application of a natural capital approach in the Overseas Territories to improve understanding of the benefits ecosystems provide to society.
This work on St Helena forms part of the South Atlantic Natural Capital Project, which aims to strengthen environmental resilience by integrating natural capital considerations into economic and social development planning. Funded by the UK Government’s Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), the assessment was carried out by SAERI and coordinated by JNCC under the wider Environmental Resilience Programme.
St Helena Research Institute
Education, Skills & Employment Portfolio
Canarvon Court
Jamestown
St Helena Island
STHL 1ZZ
sarah.iguna@sainthelena.edu.sh
(+290) 22607
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