NASA Collaborations

• NASA Earth Observing System Data Information System (EOSDIS)

The GCMD provides data set descriptions for all of NASA's EOSDIS publically available data holdings. Users can link directly to the EOSDIS Data Gateway (EDG) or to data held at the Distributed Data Archive Centers (DAACs) from the data set or services descriptions.

• Federation of Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP)

  The GCMD collaborates directly with two Federation of Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP) and indirectly with others. ESIP partners include OPeNDAP: Open-source Project for a Network Data Access Protocol and the Seasonal and Interannual Information Partnership (SIESIP). GCMD has worked closely with DODS/OPeNDAP to provide direct access to DODS servers including the Live Access Server (LAS) and to provide DODS direct access to GCMD's database through the GCMD Open API. A custom DODS/OPeNDAP portal is available. The GCMD has provided a customized ESIP data portal and ESIP services portal to search for data. GCMD is also searchable from the ESIP Federation Interactive Network for Discovery (FIND).

U.S. Government Federal Agency Collaborations

• Biological Resources Division, US Geological Survey

  The Biological Resources Division (BRD) provides the scientific understanding and technologies needed to support the sound management and conservation of U.S. biological resources. NASA and the BRD are partnering to increase access to ecological data through shared metadata population efforts of the GCMD and the National Biological Information Infrastructure.

• Geospatial One-Stop (GOS)

  Metadata records about NASA's Earth science data are being contributed from the GCMD to the Geospatial One-Stop (GOS) portal. GOS is a U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) E-Government initiative that allows for improved access to geospatial information. Geospatial One Stop's harvesting technology allows for continuous updates of metadata holdings in their database.

• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

  GCMD continues close collaborations with NOAA through the exchange of metadata information. The GCMD is a participant in the NOAA Operational Model Archive and Distribution System (NOMADS) program and has contributed a custom portal for model output data sets. Over 800 metadata records have been exchanged with the NOAA National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC) and the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) using the OAI-PMH standard.

Intergovernmental Collaborations

• National Spatial Data Infrastructure/Federal Geographic Data
  Committee (NSDI/FGDC)

NSDI is an umbrella of policies, standards and procedures (coordinated by the Federal Geographic Data Committee) under which organizations and technologies interact to foster more efficient use, management and production of geospatial data. The GCMD is an NSDI/FGDC participant and a node of the FGDC Clearinghouse. Geospatial data can be searched across many different spatial servers by accessing the FGDC Clearinghouse Gateway.

• Data Management and Communications (DMAC)

  The GCMD has contributed to the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing Program (IOOS) proposed Data Management and Communications (DMAC) system. The GCMD will partcipate in the search and discovery of IOOS data sets.

• Marine Metadata Interoperability (MMI)

The GCMD is collaborating with the Marine Metadata Interoperability (MMI)
project, a community effort aimed at making marine science data sets easier to find, access, and use. Scientists and data managers can find valuable information about data management and metadata policies on the MMI website.  The GCMD contributes by sharing its extensive list of keywords and metadata expertise with the community.

International Collaborations

• Committee on Earth Observation Satellites International Directory Network (CEOS IDN)

The CEOS IDN is an international effort to assist researchers in locating information on available data sets. The GCMD shares information with other CEOS IDN nodes throughout the world and also provides software, search interfaces and metadata writing tools.

• Antarctic Master Directory

  The GCMD is collaborating with the Joint Committee on Antarctic Data Management (JCADM), an international effort to make available Antarctic research data holdings. The GCMD has developed an Antarctic Master Directory (AMD) to search for Antarctic data sets.

• United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP)

  The GCMD is continuing collaborations with the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) Global Resources Information Database (GRID) to make available through data set descriptions from many nations throughout the world. The UNEP/GRID site in Budapest, Hungary is a partner in the testing of new GCMD software technolgies.

• The Global Observing Systems Information Center (GOSIC)

  The GCMD is collaborating with the Global Observing Systems Information Center (GOSIC) to develop a portal to GOSIC data that will be collected by three major observing programs: the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS), the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS), and the Global Terrestrial Observing System (GTOS). The GCMD has contributed a customized Global Observation of Forest Cover (GOFC) portal GOFC, originally a joint program of the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) and GTOS, now is part of the GTOS program.

• The International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange (IODE)

  GCMD has collaborated with the International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange (IODE) by testing the MEDI metadata tool. MEDI is compatible with the Directory Interchange Format (DIF) and IODE has encouraged their data centers to create new MEDI records and send metadata to the GCMD.

• Global Ocean Ecosystems Dynamics Project (GLOBEC)

  The GCMD has continued collaborations with the Global Ocean Ecosystems Dynamics Project (GLOBEC) to make GLOBEC data sets available through the GCMD and a GLOBEC portal.
  

• The Gulf Of Maine Ocean Data Partnership (GoMODP)

The GCMD is collaborating with the Gulf of Maine Ocean Data Partnership (GoMODP) to promote and coordinate the sharing, linking, and use of data in the Gulf of Maine region. Data sets from the region are made available through the GoMODP portal.


• The Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS)

The Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS) is the information component of the Census of Marine Life (CoML). It is a web-based provider of global geo-referenced information on marine species. Marine species data collections from all of the world's oceans can be discovered through the OBIS portal.

• International Polar Year (IPY)

  With the beginning of the International Polar Year (2007/2008) in March 2007, the GCMD is participating in a worldwide effort in the data and information management of IPY.   The directory's Expression of Intent (EoI) for an IPY Metadata and Information Portal Network for the Data and Information Service (DIS) can be accessed online using the following link: http://www.ipy.org/development/eoi/index.htm.  The GCMD EoI along with other related EoIs were brought together under the IPY DIS for Distributed Data Management full proposal submitted to NSF in April 2006.  The JCADM/AMD and ARCTIC portal contributions are expected to play a key role in IPY.   In April 2006, a prototype IPY portal was established and can be viewed at http://gcmd.nasa.gov/portals/ipy/

• Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS)

  The GCMD is collaborating with the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) as a member of the expert IOOS metadata team. GCMD actively participates in bimonthly telecons to assist with identifying potential metadata requirements (e.g. Content requirements, vocabularies and ontologies, and discovery mechanisms) for use in the IOOS Data Management and Communications (DMAC) system.

• Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS)

The Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) is an international effort to monitor the Earth for societal benefits and sustainable development. GCMD has developed web portals that will potentially increase the use of Earth observation data and information. GCMD continues to coordinate with the global community of international (e.g. CEOS International Directory Network), intergovernmental, and regional organizations providing solutions for the 10-year GEOSS Implementation Plan.



• International Heliosphysical Year (IHY)

The Primary Objectives of International Helisphysical Year (IHY) include: Advancing the Understanding of the Heliophysical Processes that Govern the Sun, Earth and Heliosphere Continuing the tradition of international research and advancing the legacy of the International Geophysical Year Demonstrating the Beauty, Relevance and Significance of Space and Earth Science to the World.



• Electronic Geophysical Year (eGY)

The Electronic Geophysical Year (eGY) provides an opportunity for the international geoscientific community to focus effort on a 21st Century e-Science approach to issues of data stewardship: open access to data, data preservation, data discovery, data rescue, capacity building, and outreach. The development of Virtual Observatories and Laboratories is a central feature of eGY.

eGY is an internationally-recognized resolve by the science community to achieve a step increase in making past, present, and future geoscientific data readily, rapidly, conveniently, and openly available. eGY provides the international framework and a target for stimulating and coordinating activities to make this happen. eGY focuses on themes of electronic data location and access, permission and release of data,conversion of data into modern digital form, data preservation, capacity building, particularly in developing countries, and outreach. Promoting the development of a network of virtual observatories is a central feature of eGY.

Portal Collaborations

GCMD has recognized the importance of customization of the search site for partner organizations and is generating subset views of the Directory through portals. Portals have made it easier for organizations to maintain and document their data in one place without duplicating the effort to create another online directory. To access portals and to learn more,
visit: http://gcmd.nasa.gov/Data/portal_index.html