Google’s ‘Dataset Search,’ first launched in September 2018, is officially out of beta with nearly 25 million datasets indexed.
Dataset Search can be used for anything from scientific research to learning more about your favorite hobby.
“Across the web, there are millions of datasets about nearly any subject that interests you. If you’re looking to buy a puppy, you could find datasets compiling complaints of puppy buyers or studies on puppy cognition. Or if you like skiing, you could find data on revenue of ski resorts or injury rates and participation numbers.”
Google has added new features to Dataset Search based on feedback gathered from users since the beta launch. Now, results can be filtered based on the types of dataset you need (tables, images, text, etc.), or whether the data set is available for free.
In addition, Dataset Search is now available on mobile and Google says the quality of dataset descriptions has been “significantly improved.”
Getting Content Indexed in Dataset Search
The process publishers have to go through to have their datasets included in Dataset Search remains the same. Anybody who publishes data can make their datasets discoverable by using the appropriate schema.org structured data.
See: How to Rank in Google Dataset Search
People using Dataset Search thus far range from academic researchers, to students, to business analysts. The most commonly searched for datasets include “education,” “weather,” “cancer,” “crime,” “soccer,” and “dogs”.
The largest topics that are covered in datasets include geosciences, biology, and agriculture. The most popular dataset format is tables, with more than 6 million of them included in Dataset Search.
Although its officially out of beta, Google is committed to improving Dataset Search going forward just as it’s always improving its main search engine.
