The ICAT software takes data from large scientific facilities - such as particle accelerators - and catalogues and indexes it so scientists can find the data they need and share it with their team. A simple REST interface allows scientific instrument designers to quickly upload their data to the system for indexing and cataloguing. TopCat, ICAT's easy to use web interface, allows scientists and collaborators to effortlessly search and download their data. ICAT's secure authentication system allows principal investigators to control their data and ensures users can only access data which they are allowed to access.

ICAT is in use at some of the world's largest scientific facilities enabling access to millions of datasets. The software is free & open-source and has been developed and maintained by an international collaboration for over 10 years.

What does ICAT do?

For a more detailed explanation of what ICAT does and the actors, entities and workflows it models, see the ICAT Schema page.

Who uses ICAT?

ICAT is used at many large scientific facilities. To find out how ICAT is supporting great science, see our case studies.

Who develops ICAT?

ICAT is developed by an international collaboration. There are monthly meetings to discuss development, yearly face-to-face meetings and a steering committee which agrees the roadmap. To find out more, see our Collaboration page.