Heliophysics Data Environment (HPDE)
Heliophysics (HP) research seeks to determine and model the nature and dynamical interactions of the Sun, the heliosphere, and the plasma environments of the planets based on data from a fleet of spacecraft termed the "Heliophysics Great Observatory" (HGO). Achieving the desired understanding requires easy access to data and tools from a distributed set of active archives, each of which has its own architecture and formats: together these data and tools form the core of the Heliophysics Data Environment (HPDE).
The basic principles for the HP Data Environment (DE) are the involvement of scientists in each stage of the process, and the acceptance of the goal of openly accessible data that are independently scientifically usable. While the HPDE is guided by a "top-down" vision provided by the Data Policy, it is implemented from the bottom up, built from peer-reviewed data systems driven by community needs and founded on community-based standards. Consistent with this approach, data providers and data users share responsibility for the quality and proper use of the data for research. The principles of the HPDE are consistent with those advocated by the Electronic Geophysical Year (2007-2008). The eGY, on the 50th anniversy of the IGY, provides an opportunity for the international geoscientific community to focus effort on open access to data, data preservation, data discovery, data rescue, capacity building, and outreach. The development of Virtual Observatories is a central feature of eGY, and thus the HPDE is coordinating efforts with the eGY.