The Berkman Center for Internet & Society is delighted to announce the launch of the Net Data Directory, a free, publicly available, searchable database of different sources of data about the Internet. The directory is intended to make finding useful quantitative data about a broad range of Internet-related topics—broadband, cybersecurity, freedom of expression, and more—easier for researchers, policymakers, journalists, and the public.

"A large number of organizations are producing data about all different facets of the Internet," said Fernando Bermejo, Berkman Center Faculty Associate and founder of the project. "However, it is not always easy to identify those sources and obtain the data. We hope the Net Data Directory will help anyone interested in knowing about the current state of the Internet to find the data they need in order to make informed decisions, produce insightful research, or simply learn something new about the online world.”

Records in the directory include the name of the data source, a short description of the available data, and a link. Data sources are tagged both by geographic coverage (including global, regional, and country-level tags) and by topic (such as broadband, cybersecurity, and social media). Users can search, sort, and filter records within this database to identify datasets relevant to their work. The vast majority of datasets within the directory are themselves open and publicly available.

The Net Data Directory currently contains over 150 data source records, ranging from the Interactive Advertising Bureau's regular reports on online advertising revenue to the European Union's Eurobarometer, which publishes data collected through public opinion surveys on a wide range of issues including data protection and digital markets; Tiobe, which offers a monthly index of the popularity of different programming languages; the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific's digital data explorer; the Digital Attack Map, a collaboration between Google Ideas and Arbor Networks that provides daily information on DDoS attacks worldwide; AFRINIC's set of statistics on IPv4, IPv6, and AS numbers in Africa and the Indian Ocean; the OECD's Broadband Portal and other ICT indicators; and many more. Records are maintained by researchers at the Berkman Center; users can also suggest new data sources through the NDD website. 

The Net Data Directory is a partner of Internet Monitor, a research project based at the Berkman Center that aims to evaluate, describe, and summarize the means, mechanisms, and extent of Internet content controls and Internet activity around the world.

About the Net Data Directory

The Net Data Directory is a free, publicly accessible database of information about different sources of data about the Internet. The directory is intended to make finding reliable quantitative data about a broad range of Internet-related topics—broadband, cybersecurity, freedom of expression, and more—easier for researchers, policymakers, journalists, and the public. For more, see netdatadirectory.org.

About Internet Monitor

Internet Monitor is a research project based at Harvard University's Berkman Center for Internet & Society. Internet Monitor's aim is to evaluate, describe, and summarize the means, mechanisms, and extent of Internet content controls and Internet activity around the world. The project helps researchers, advocates, policymakers, and user communities understand trends in Internet health and activity through research, analysis, and data visualization. Internet Monitor is funded by the US Department of State and the MacArthur Foundation. For more, see thenetmonitor.org.

About the Berkman Center

Founded in 1997, the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University is dedicated to exploring, understanding, and shaping the development of the digitally-networked environment. A diverse, interdisciplinary community of scholars, practitioners, technologists, policy experts, and advocates, we seek to tackle the most important challenges of the digital age while keeping a focus on tangible real-world impact in the public interest. Our faculty, fellows, staff and affiliates conduct research, build tools and platforms, educate others, form bridges and facilitate dialogue across and among diverse communities. More information at www.cyber.law.harvard.edu.