# User Guide

For an introduction on how to use the Data Catalogue see this video:

{% embed url="<https://youtu.be/H1KBLkZUR2s>" %}

### How to get started with the Data Catalogue

Go to the Pacific Data Hub home page <https://pacificdata.org/>

You will be redirected to the Data Catalogue when you make your data search either using the **Search bar** or the **Shortcuts** located below.

![](/files/-MKb7y0tlNAE-SO34QvT)

### Search data

In this example we have typed "cyclone" in the search bar and redirected to the Data Catalogue

![](/files/-MKb8zIp3Kzi9Okjhh_h)

We can order our results by relevance, popularity, name or last modification using the **Order by** button

To narrow down the data search we can use the filtering tools located on the left. The filters available are **Topic, Member countries, Organisations, Tags, Formats, Dataset type and Licenses.**

![](/files/-MKbAhcCowzj6_wavqNQ)

### Explore inside the dataset

Once you have found the dataset you are looking for, click on it to open the Dataset screen.

* On top of the screen you will find the dataset's title and description.&#x20;
* You can export the metadata by clicking on the **Export Metadata** button located below the description.
* Metadata can be accessed on the bottom of the page.
* A number of different data resources with various formats can be linked to the dataset.&#x20;
* Click on the resources to access the resource page where you will find the description, a preview pane and a download link.
* Different preview screens are available depending on the format of the file.&#x20;

![](/files/-MKbDApdv1Gk6SKcjCm9)

* At the bottom of the file you will find shortcuts to access the other resources linked to the dataset.

![](/files/-MKbFwxck9hbEE_fYlfz)


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# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.pacificdata.org/catalogue/user-guide.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.