Frequently Asked Questions

The Language Data Commons of Australia is research infrastructure which aims to bring people, both academic and non-academic users, and data together.The data is nationally significant collections which represent language use in Australia, now and in our history. (See also ‘What is a data commons?')

A data commons is cloud-based infrastructure coupled with governance strategies and principles that allow a community to use, share, manage and analyse its data.
LDaCA is a language data commons serving researchers and community groups that are interested in language data.

Metadata is the information that defines and describes data. It is often referred to as data about data or information about data because it provides data users with information about the purpose, processes, and methods involved in the data collection. (Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics > Metadata).

These are two complementary sets of principles for data management and stewardship.

According to the FAIR principles, data should be:

• Findable
• Accessible
• Interoperable
• Reusable

According to the CARE principles, developed by the Global Indigenous Data Alliance, our use of data should be guided by considering:

• Collective Benefit
• Authority to Control
• Responsibility
• Ethics

The CARE principles were developed in relation to Indigenous data, but we believe that researchers should adopt this approach in all cases where the people who participate in our research can be seen to have some moral rights in the information they have contributed.

While the FAIR principles are about making it easier to share and reuse data, the CARE principles ensure that data is used ethically.

We have more information about these principles on our website and in our blog.

It depends what you want to do. Some resources are available without signing in, but others are only accessible after signing in.

What is available without signing in:

• Ability to view or download metadata (see FAQ “What is metadata?”) for all collections
• Ability to view and/or use data licensed under CC BY 4.0 or equivalent

What is available when signed in:

• Data available if you agree to specific terms (click-through licence)
• Ability to apply for licences to access data that require approval from data stewards
• Access to a unique API key (see FAQ “What is an API?”)
• A list of licences you have been granted

Click on the Login button at the upper right corner corner. You will be directed to identify yourself using CILogon (see FAQ ‘What credentials do I need to sign in to LDaCA?’) and when that process is complete, you will be signed in to LDaCA.

LDaCA uses an authentication service called CILogon which allows you to sign in with credentials from an Australian university or research institution (via the Australian Access Federation). But you can still sign in to LDaCA without AAF credentials; CILogon recognises credentials from:

• a range of international institutions
• your ORCID
• a Google, Microsoft or Github account.

After you have signed in to LDaCA for the first time, and then later return and sign in again, some information about you will be available:

• The last API key which you generated will still be available (see FAQ “What is an API?”).
• You can view a list of licenses which have been granted to you.

LDaCA does not save previous searches you may have carried out. See FAQ: "How do I save a search?".

An Application Programming Interface (API) is a way for computer programs to communicate with each other. It is a way for one computer or system to ask another computer or system to do something, like provide a dataset.

The API key is used as a unique identifier and comes with a set of [personalised/unique] permissions that are linked to the key.

The API key allows the interface to identify, track and regulate how you use the API. You must treat your API key the same way you treat your passwords and usernames. API keys must not be shared.

Your API key can be found in the User Information screen accessible when you are signed in. If you have not previoously generated an API key, the text box will be empty; you get an API key by clicking on the Generate button. Otherwise the last API key which you generated will be stored in the text box. You can generate a new key at any time.