NOMAD ELN
Attributes
DescriptionNOMAD is a free web service that allows you to share your data or use comprehensive data provided by others. You can use NOMAD to organize, analyze, share, and publish your materials science data, as well as explore, download, and analyze the data of your colleagues. NOMAD is not only about sharing files, it is about sharing data and making data FAIR. All data in NOMAD are organized in well-defined structures described by a formal schema.
The NOMAD ELN allows researchers to organize and manage their experiments by creating structured records of samples, processing steps, measurements, and analyses. It provides scientists with searchable records accessible from any device, enabling more efficient data integration, improved collaboration, and robust research documentation.
NOMAD offers built-in templates for various ELN record types that can be used directly in the GUI, while also allowing users to create custom ELN templates by writing schema files using YAML or Python.
ProviderFAIRmat
Information on ProviderFAIRmat is a consortium of many German universities and reasearch institutes. FAIRmat is building a FAIR data infrastructure for condensed-matter physics and the chemical physics of solids.
Activity Statusactive
Information on ActiveNOMAD 1.3.14 was released February 2025
Last checked onMarch 2025
Provider's data safety and data security strategies
Reference usersNOMAD is developed and used by FAIRmat (https://www.fairmat-nfdi.eu) to create a distributed research data infrastructure for materials science.
Reviews
Exit strategy
CommunityNOMAD Discord Server: https://discord.gg/Gyzx3ukUw8
Known usersRHTW Aachen, Universität Hamburg, Helmholz Zentrum Berlin, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, University of Illinois, Leibniz-Institut für Kristallzüchtung, Karlsruher Institut für Technologie, and many more
General
LicenseOpen Source
PricingFree
Versions
Location of providerGermany
Usability
Customizable user interfaceCustomizable user interface, Users can create their own data schemas, visualizations, and notebooks. There is a plugin mechanism for creating schemas and parsers to support additional data types.
LanguagesEnglish
SupportOnline documentation, User training (online, on site), Support by provider, FAIRmat offers regular online hands-on tutorials. Users can interact directly with the developers and other users on the NOMAD Discord channel.
Usage statisticsCan be turned off
Offline functionalities
Core functions (Daily work)
Data inputBrowser forms, Rich text editor, Plain text editor, With external links, With internal links, Users can define their own forms to acquire consistent datasets. Many files of many types can be processed, references, and analysed.
Data import (formats)Scientific formats, Structured formats, Table formats, All types of files can be uploaded and managed. Specific structured and scientific formats are processed to extract structured data in a common form.
Data import (method)Drag & Drop / File Chooser, There is also an API and data can be uploaded via command line tools.
Data exportComplete content in document format, Complete content in machine readable format, Formats suitable for long term archiving, Formats suitable for publication
TemplatesDefine own templates, Import of own templates, NOMAD offers built-in templates for various ELN record types that can be used directly in the GUI, while also allowing users to create custom ELN templates by writing schema files using YAML or Python.
Search functionsAdvanced search, Conditional search, Search by chemical structure, Search provides many domain-specific search filters for data entered by users or processed from uploaded files.
CollaborationRights management, Work is organized into projects and projects can be shared with other users. Users can have editing or only viewing rights to projects. Published projects are available to everyone.
Compliance with legal requirements
Preservation of evidenceRFC 3161, Timestamping
Compliance
Extended functions (Daily work)
Laboratory management functions
Integrations and extensionsJupyterHub, Pubchem
AutomationData analysis, Get data from instrument, Integrated JupyterHub for analysis. Plugins allow integration of other data sources, devices, etc. All functionality also available via API.
Device connection
Project management tools
Workflows
Integration in RDM and IT environment
Application programming interfacesREST API, Python library
Controlled vocabularyControlled Vocabulary, NOMAD is built on structured data based on well-defined schema called the NOMAD Metainfo (https://nomad-lab.eu/prod/v1/gui/analyze/metainfo). NOMAD Metainfo can be extended and enhanced with standardized vocabularies and ontologies.
Data accessBrowser based
Data storage locationCloud, Data are stored at the Max Planck Computing and Data Facility (MPCDF).
Type of external cloud
Location of data storage or processingGermany
Level of data protection (e.g. certification)
Transport encryption
Data storage encryption
Access control
Guaranteed SLAs
Interval of Data Backups
Number of Data Backups
Data Backups Encrypted
Template for data processing agreement (DPA), including the technical and organizational measures (TOM)
Authentication methods
User account security measures
Usage optionOn-premises, There is a singular public NOMAD service that everyone can use free of charge.
Server operating systemLinux, We recommand our docker image-based installation