Directory
Dataset search tools help you find open data, research collections and public records from many fields. Listings include catalogues, repositories and portals from governments, universities, labs and open projects. Some cover one subject closely, such as genomics, climate or satellite imagery, while others gather datasets across many areas and add filters, previews and download notes. Compare a few side by side and look at the licence, the update date and the file formats offered, since two portals that look alike can carry very different terms. Check whether a catalogue links to the original data or hosts its own copy, because the source usually explains provenance and any limits on reuse.
The World Data Centre for Microorganisms is a global microbial resources data center. It applies information technology to improve access to and use of data and information and to optimize the interoperability of microbial data. It facilitates the exchange of open data and supports international open science exchanges and cooperation between scientists from culture collections and other user communities.
The World Data Centre for Geomagnetism, Copenhagen, distributes the definitive PCN index derived from the geomagnetic observatory Qaanaaq and Kp-index data products derived at the geomagnetic observatory Niemegk via an FTP server. It also holds extensive archives of magnetograms and other geomagnetic observatory data products that predate digital data recording, in analogue form such as film or microfiche. It was established in 1957.
Dataset repository covering astrophysics and astronomy, with searchable observational data.
The World Data Centre for Geomagnetism, Mumbai, is part of the Indian Institute of Geomagnetism and is situated at the Colaba Magnetic Observatory campus. It holds analog and digital geomagnetic data and geomagnetic activity indices from observatories worldwide. Data services are available for scientific use without restrictions, and hourly and one-minute observations are published for academic and scientific use.
Search atmospheric, oceanography and climate data collections and supporting datasets from GBR.
WDCGG is a World Data Centre operated by the Japan Meteorological Agency under the Global Atmosphere Watch programme of the World Meteorological Organization. It collects, archives and distributes contributor-provided data on greenhouse gases such as CO2, CH4, CFCs and N2O and related gases such as CO in the atmosphere and elsewhere. A January 2025 site update provided certain data for download without user registration.
The World Data Centre for Space Weather is part of and operated by the Australian Space Weather Forecasting Centre and is located in Sydney, Australia. It offers ionospheric, magnetometer, spectrograph, cosmic ray data and solar images for direct download, and provides software and data catalogue information. Commercial or industrial use of the data is prohibited without a previous written agreement.
Find and access engineering research data, with indexed datasets.
The World Glacier Monitoring Service compiles and disseminates standardized data on glacier fluctuations, collecting glacier data annually through a scientific collaboration network active in more than 30 countries. With NSIDC and GLIMS, it runs the Global Terrestrial Network for Glaciers in support of the UNFCCC.
Find and access atmospheric research data, with indexed measurement and test data.
Research data portal for exploring atmospheric records, including observational data.
The World Register of Marine Species is an authoritative classification and catalogue of marine names. It is continuously updated to reflect current published scientific knowledge without making new taxonomic decisions. The site reports accepted marine species and marine species names, including synonyms, and offers tools such as taxon matching and web services.
The World Stress Map is a global compilation of information on the crustal present-day stress field, maintained since 2009 at the GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences. It is an open-access database with stress information compiled in a standardized, quality-ranked format. The 2025 database release contains 100,842 data records in the Earth's crust.
The World Values Survey is a cross-national survey data archive and analysis platform run by the World Values Survey Association. The association conducts multi-wave surveys on values and political culture, including its eighth survey wave, and provides public access to survey data, documentation, publications, and webinar content. It also administers the annual Ronald F. Inglehart Best Book Award on Political Culture and Values.
Dataset repository covering atmospheric, oceanography and climate, with searchable datasets.
WorldData.AI is a data platform that aggregates curated data from public sources. It combines datasets, news analysis and location-based data in a single search interface. The site lists a free trial plan with 8000 credits per month, limited access to Global Data, News AI and Geo Intelligence, and a bulk download limit of 250 datasets.
WorldPop is a geospatial and population research project that develops and provides open access, high-resolution spatial demographic datasets and solutions, with a focus on low- and middle-income countries. The project creates peer-reviewed research and methods for constructing these datasets, and offers access to bespoke country-level and global or regional datasets, along with tools including an API and GIS plugins.
Dataset repository covering history, with searchable datasets.
The Worldwide Governance Indicators are annual composite indicators summarizing six dimensions of governance across more than 200 economies, based on perception data from 35 cross-country sources. The World Bank publishes the 2026 update, with data covering 1996 to 2025. The indicators are intended for research, policy analysis and government reflection, not as definitive criteria for credit ratings or investment risk.
The Worldwide Protein Data Bank (wwPDB) is the organization that manages the Protein Data Bank archive, the single global repository of three-dimensional structural data for proteins, nucleic acids, and complex assemblies, which has operated since 1971. The wwPDB maintains the archive and provides resources including validation tools, deposition systems, data dictionaries, and policies for the structural biology community.
Dataset repository covering basic in biology and medicine, with searchable genomic data.
WOVOdat is a global database on volcanic unrest maintained by WOVO and hosted at the Earth Observatory of Singapore. It offers tools including data search by volcano, Boolean searches, side-by-side comparisons, and a web service for data retrieval. Submitted data is converted into XML format and stored in a MySQL database system.
WRAP is the Warwick Research Archive Portal, the University of Warwick’s open access repository for the institution’s full text research content. It hosts journal articles, Warwick doctoral dissertations, books, book chapters, conference items, working papers, research reports, datasets and other research outputs, and supports OAI 2.0. Direct user deposit of publications into WRAP will be disabled from 5pm on 18 August 2026.
The Baseline Surface Radiation Network (BSRN) has provided high-accuracy surface radiation measurements across a global station network since 1992. Its central archive, the World Radiation Monitoring Center, stores radiation measurements with collocated meteorological observations and station metadata. BSRN is a project of the GEWEX Data and Analysis Panel aimed at detecting changes in Earth's surface radiation budget possibly related to climate change.
