Study on the Long-term Retention of Selected Scientific and Technical Records of the Federal Government Working Papers (1995) / Chapter Skim
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II. REPORT OF THE SPACE SCIENCES DATA PANEL
II. REPORT OF THE SPACE SCIENCES DATA PANEL
Pages 23-51
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Stephen Saunders CONTENTS 1 Introduction, 23 2 Overview of Space Science Data, 24 3 Space Science Archive Model, 39 4 Suggested Retention Criteria and Appraisal Guidelines, 44 5 Summary of Findings, Conclusions, and Recommendations, 48 Acknowledgments, 50 Bibliography, 50 1 INTRODUCTION The purpose of this report is to broadly characterize the data holdings in the observational space sciences, review the current status and practices regarding the long-term archiving of those data, and provide advice on improving that process to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) , the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
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Most archiving of space physics data is done at two centers: the NASA National Space Science Data Center and the NOAA National Geophysical Data Center. A fledging Space Physics Data System has been initiated, but has not yet had sufficient time or resources to significantly influence the archiving efforts in this field.
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The primary components are a Central Node, seven Discipline Nodes, and a variable number of Data Nodes. In addition, the National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC)
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The PDS has also led the development and application of new technologies to aid the archiving and distribution of planetary science data. One such example is the production of CD-ROM volumes.
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In addition, the PDS promotes research activities by organizing topical scientific workshops, providing visiting scientist programs, and developing and making available basic data analysis tools. Examples of Ingesting Data into the PDS Restoration of Data from an Inactive Planetary Mission The PDS undertakes restoration of data sets when any of the following criteria exist: A mission had no project data management plan, or the plan predated PDS; Processing of data products is underway or incomplete; Archival products have not been produced to PDS standards; No archival products have been produced for some or most of the data; Archival products do not represent the most recently derived data sets; or Archival products are not on long-lived media.
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The PDS assists the project in applying PDS standards for production of archival quality data sets. Members of relevant PDS Discipline Nodes and the Central Node lend their expertise to instrument teams during the data volume design and production phases.
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This lesson should apply equally well to PDS, NSSDC, and NARA, but perhaps with differing time scales for change. Astronomy and Astrophysics Data Like planetary data, astronomy and astrophysics data are acquired by both ground-based and space-based observatories.
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An example of this is the digitization of a whole-sky survey by the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) , and this survey is now available for sale on CD-ROM from the Astronomical Society of the Pacific.
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2005 2000 Data center Einstein Observatory National Space Infrared Processing Space Telescope National Space Data Center, Science Data and Analysis Science Institute, Science Data Cambridge, Center, Greenbelt, Center, Pasadena, Baltimore, Center, Greenbelt, Massachusetts Maryland California Maryland Maryland
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The archive constitutes a central element in the architecture of the STScI data system. The STScI receives the data from the satellite and extracts the science data from the telemetry stream.
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The centers are staffed by scientists, software engineers, and support personnel. Active data centers include the Einstein Observatory Data Center at SAO, now winding down its activities; the Roentgen Satellite (ROSAT)
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Space Physics Data Introduction r i] n user interfaces Space physics has its foundations at the very beginning of the space age with the observations obtained by Explorer 1 in 1958.
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Only since the early 1990s, however, has the Space Physics Division initiated an effort to develop its own discipline data system, and there is no information systems funding available. Indeed, NASA's ability to support space physics activities is under severe stress because of burgeoning requirements for mission operations and data analysis and the simultaneous decrease of funding for this type of activity.
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Given the vast quantities of space physics data acquired over the last three decades and the relatively large fraction that probably do not qualify as an archivable data set, it is likely that the lower-priority data sets will disappear. Lack of documentation or of timely migration is likely to render these useless, and austere budgets will severely limit the number of data sets that can be restored to an archivable level.
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Unfortunately, given the very low rate of Space Physics Division spending on data restoration and the poor outlook for funding in the near term, it is quite clear that there is little chance that scientists will be able to go back and restore many of the older data sets to a form that would be conducive to very long-term retention. With the inauguration of the Space Physics Data System, the upcoming launches of the highly integrated set of spacecraft under the International Solar Terrestrial Program, and the new emphasis on properly archived data, it is reasonable to assume that the space physics community will produce meaningful archives of a significantly larger fraction of the new data.
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Some of these records span well over 100 years. Summary of Findings and Conclusions · The majority of space physics and solar terrestrial data currently archived are held by NASA in the National Space Science Data Center and by NOAA in the National Geophysical Data Center.
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Data management services include the maintaining of active databases, documenting algorithm development, providing interactive access to both program data and data from other sources, data handling services, and assistance to secondary users for access to collected data, among other functions. The two largest collectors and managers of space science data, NASA and NOAA, have established, with varying levels of efficacy, data management programs designed to ensure that the data collected in any manner are available to, and accessible by, the science community.
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The Defense Department's data generally are submitted to NOAA's National Geophysical and National Climatic Data Centers for archiving. Issues Relating to the Archiving of Space Science Data Numerous issues need to be addressed to ensure the preservation and accessibility of space science data for future researchers.
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What is the appropriate user paradigm for archival research? Proposed Model The Space Sciences Data Panel considered a number of options for an archival model of space science data.
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A good example of careful preparation of a research project is a data life cycle that was presented in the Magellan case study. Discipline Data Centers Scientists are, and will remain, the primary users of space science data.
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The agencies have not given much consideration to NARA's potential role in their data management plans, nor in their efforts to archive and service space science data. The panel concludes that this has created a situation in which many of the older data sets on paper, film, charts, and the like may well be lost due to a lack of understanding of the role NARA can and should play in the preservation of scientific records created or received by the government, regardless of the format.
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Documentation should follow the project life cycle, and begin with the initial plans for a project or mission. In the case of NASA, this results in a NASA Data Management Plan (NDMP)
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However, these examples have received a great deal of attention within their respective agencies and discipline communities as data sets which should be kept for long periods. Planetary Science As discussed in Section 2, the Planetary Data System has pioneered the methodology of "publishing" data sets on CD-ROM.
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Appraisal Guidelines The National Archives and Records Administration appraises records based on their evidential and informational values. It is concerned with records of secondary or longer-term value, those that may be expected to have value long after they cease to be of more immediate or primary uses.
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2. Whenever data are moved to a formal discipline data center and the determination is made as to whether: the data set duplicates other data; has superseded, or been superseded by, other data; or is useful in connection with other data.
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Space science data are managed and archived in a distributed system, principally by the users of the data. The panel concludes that it is impossible for NARA to maintain and adequately service all archivable scientific databases and data sets for the foreseeable future.
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NARA should generally strengthen its liaison with each federal agency producing space science data. Toward that end, NARA should establish what data the agency intends to deposit with NARA and when, determine what other data may be suitable for archiving, and stipulate in detail what procedures should be followed in providing data to NARA.
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1992c. 1991 Annual Statistics and Highlights Report, National Space Science Data Center, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD.
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1993. 1992 Review of the World Data Center-A for Rockets and Satellites, National Space Science Data Center, Committee on Geophysical and Environmental Data, Board on Earth Sciences and Resources, National Academy Press, Washington, D.C.
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