Data Rescue Project Archives US Government Datasets Facing Removal

The group now uploads archived material to DataLumos, a searchable public repository hosted by the University of Michigan.

Volunteers create metadata descriptions for each item to help users understand what the data measures. One university library official noted that simply downloading files is insufficient for true preservation. The project has also rebuilt certain tools using archived copies after original versions were taken offline.

As of late April, more than 3,000 items have been archived across hundreds of government departments, according to the project’s public tracker. The repository has recorded more than 18,900 downloads. Saved material includes an entire archive of NASA webpages, the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s Feather Atlas with high-resolution bird images, and datasets on critical infrastructure that were used to create a replacement version called HIFLD Next after the original was removed by the Department of Homeland Security last summer.

The group has also preserved CDC data on queer and trans people that was later altered on government sites. gov, though the total number produced by the government is difficult to track. One medical data librarian who co-founded the project said it is impossible to archive everything.

A former Google engineer joined after concluding that intentional deletion of information used to shape policy could make the public easier to control. The programmer who requested anonymity said the work provided purpose during a period of chronic pain and unemployment that had left him housebound.

He now focuses on longer-term storage systems rather than daily emergency downloads. The Data Rescue Project is one of more than 20 organizations and thousands of individuals working to protect public data access through various methods. One founding member described the effort as a social movement but noted it would not involve large-scale public demonstrations.