Below are some relevant studies on data discovery, reuse, and collaboration.
Sidlauskas, B., Ganeshkumar, G., Hazkani-Covo, E., Jenkins, K., Lapp, H., McCall, L.W., . . . Kidd, D.M. (2010). Linking big: The continuing promise of evolutionary synthesis. Evolution, 64(4), 871–880.
Summary: 'Lessons learned' from running the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center (NESCent) - provides four modes of 'synthesis in action': Data aggregation; Reuse of Results; Methodological Integration; Conceptual Synthesis and Methodological Integration. The "Overcoming Technological Impediments to Synthesis" is not particularly helpful your study, but interesting background info.