Data Systems Communities
International Council for Science (ICSU) World Data System (WDS)
As a member of the International Council for Science (ICSU), World Data System (WDS), ESDIS helps support these WDS goals:
- Enable universal and equitable access to quality-assured scientific data, data services, products and information
- Ensure long term data stewardship
- Foster compliance to agreed-upon data standards and conventions
- Provide mechanisms to facilitate and improve access to data and data products
WDS strives to become a worldwide community of excellence for scientific data, with searchable common data directories and catalogs, which ensures the long-term stewardship and provision of quality-assessed data and data services to the international science community.
The ICSU WDS replaces the former World Data Centers (WDC), a transition from existing stand-alone services to a common globally interoperable distributed data system that incorporates emerging technologies and new scientific data activities. ESDIS is a proud new member of the ICSU WDS.
Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS)
CEOS WGISS Integrated Catalog (CWIC)
CWIC is being developed by WGISS to provide a framework that allows for easier search and access of Earth Observation data via partnering of CEOS agency data systems. For these partnering agencies, CWIC provides a single point of search and access. CWIC is a virtual clearinghouse of spatial, temporal, and science keyword metadata that brokers access to Earth Observation data by interoperating with data archives of other agencies and countries. CWIC is envisioned to be a community catalog for satellite data that will provide search and access to satellite data within an integrated view of multiple providers of satellite data holdings.
ESDIS’s middleware system, ECHO, is a key data provider for CWIC and will offer search and access to all of NASA’s unrestricted EO data. Other partners include, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), CCRS - Canada Centre for Remote Sensing, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), INPE – National Institute for Space Research, United State Geological Survey (USGS), Academy of Opto-Electronics (AOE), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) (Beijing-1, NSMC/FengYun, CRESDA) with more coming. The International Directory Network (IDN) is part of NASA's contribution to CEOS and other international Earth sciences efforts. It extends NASA’s Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) capabilities for use by interagency and international collaborators. The IDN will offer directory-level search functionality for CWIC.
ESDIS is developing a prototype web-based client, CWIC-Start, for discovering and accessing cross-discipline data from all of the CWIC data partners. Several operational clients (e.g. Land Surface Imaging Portal, the Canadian Center for Remote Sensing CEOCat3 and the Group on Earth Observation Data Access Broker (GEO DAB)) are able to provide search and access to satellite data via CWIC. Additional CEOS and GEO sponsored clients are expected to become CWIC-enabled in the future. The CWIC team is also working with the ESA FedEO team to develop a common interface protocol that enables interoperable access to their respective collections.
The CWIC webpage contains information about the current CWIC data partners and client partners, and details of the technical information needed to access CWIC. ESDIS produced a 6-minute Youtube video, demonstrating how a user can search and access satellite data via a CWIC-enabled client portal.
Group on Earth Observations (GEO)
Quality Assurance Framework for Earth Observation (QA4EO)
United States Group on Earth Observations (USGEO)
Federation of Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP Federation)
The Federation of Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP Federation) is a broad-based community comprised of researchers and associated groups of more than 110 organizations that produce, interpret and develop applications for Earth and environmental science data. Although conceived and begun under the auspices of NASA the ESIP Federation now includes sponsorship from other Federal agencies. This venue provides ESDIS with a diverse forum for exploring and collaboration on data system activities.
ESDIS also participates in and helps to advise on the use of data standards including data formats, data transport, metadata standards and content standards for archive and preservation. This work involves work with three key organizations including:
Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC)
International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC)
ESDIS recognizes the following interagency members:
- The U.S. Government open data website, where users can find data and resources related to coastal flooding, food resilience, water, and ecosystem vulnerability.
- The Climate Resiliency Toolkit, which provides resources and a framework for understanding and addressing the climate issues that impact people and their communities.
- The National Climate Assessment a report that is conducted every four years, the third and most recent of which was released in May 2014.
- The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
- The U.S. Geological Survey.
Last Updated: Mar 5, 2015 at 12:37 PM EST