Definition
A data enclave is a secure network through which confidential data, such as identifiable information from census data, can be stored and disseminated. In a virtual data enclave a researcher can access the data from their own computer but cannot download or remove it from the remote server. Higher security data can be accessed through a physical data enclave where a researcher is required to access the data from a monitored room where the data is stored on non-network computers.
N3C - The National COVID Cohort Collaborative (N3C) Data Enclave offers one of the largest collections of secure and deidentified clinical data in the United States for COVID-19 research.
Relevant Literature
Lane J, Schur C. (2010). Balancing Access to Health Data and Privacy: A Review of the Issues and Approaches for the Future(link is external). Health Services Research, 45(5 Pt 2), 1456–1467. doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-6773.2010.01141.x
Lane J, Shipp S. (2007). Using a Remote Access Data Enclave for Data Dissemination(link is external). International Journal of Digital Curation, 2(1), 128–134. doi.org/10.2218/ijdc.v2i1.20
Mathur A, Bleckman JD, & Lyle J. (2017). Reuse of Restricted-Use Research Data(link is external). In Lisa Johnston (Ed.), Curating Research Data, Volume Two: A Handbook of Current Practice. (pp. 258–261). Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries.