SAWG Letter and Ground-Based Archiving

1. SAWG Letter and Ground-Based Archiving AAAC, Feb 16, 2005 Alan Smale, Universe Division NASA HQ

2. Science Archive Working Group Charter: The Science Archives Working Group (SAWG) will serve as astanding working group for both the Structure and Evolution of the Universe (SEU) and Origins Subcommittees of the Space Science Advisory Committee. It will provide assistance on topics and issues concerning science data management, science data archives, and computational science. The group will discuss issues pertinent to the Program Executives for MO&DA and Program Executives for science data and computing technology programs within the A&P Division. Some specific functions to be performed: • Provide assistance on all issues concerning science data management, data archive centers and services, and computer and data systems technologies; • Serve as a sounding board for data management, archiving, and computing concepts and issues; • Inform the science community of science archives policies and missions; • Present the views of the community on these issues; and • Provide guidance on the content of, and the priorities among, data archive centers and services.

3. Science Archive Working Group • Chair is a member of the SEU or Origins subcommittee; the Deputy Chair is a member of the other. • Three-year terms, rotating. • Current Membership:

4. NASA and Ground-Based Data • SAWG is sometimes asked its opinion regarding whether NASA should archive ground-based data. • SAWG’s general position is that ground-based data should be archived by the ground-based community (funded by NSF, DOE where appropriate. • Division is not clear-cut, stemming from a NASA presence in ground-based observing. • Tremendous synergy between space-based and ground-based data sets. • Two examples: Keck, SDSS. • SAWG requests a policy statement regarding the archiving of ground-based data at NASA-funded archive centers

5. Example 1: Keck • NASA receives a minority fraction of the observing time at the Keck Observatory, to support studies of planets in the Solar System and around other stars. • NASA established an archive to collect these data (largely taken with HIRES). • No general archive exists for the non-NASA data. With a little additional effort, all HIRES data could be archived at the Keck Observatory Archive. • Most sensible course would be for majority Keck members (Caltech, U. Hawaii, U. Calif) to develop archive jointly with NASA, sharing costs. • If not, should NASA still proceed in archiving all Level 0 HIRES data, given the modest cost of the augmentation and likely benefits…?

6. Example 2: SDSS • Sloan Digital Sky Survey: archived at Fermilab, properly formatted, but with no long-term home. • SDSS team has raised issue of whether this archive could be taken over by an existing NASA archive center. • (Precedent: Digital Sky Survey.) • SAWG believes SDSS is a perfect example of a project where the NSF or DOE can start doing serious archiving work, and NASA archives can offer experience.

7. SAWG request (1) SAWG does not request rulings on these examples, but rather a general statement on NASA policy regarding the archiving of ground-based data, as this crosses the boundaries between Agencies. (2) SAWG would like to know whether the AAAC has formulated (or may in the future formulate) any general policies relating to archiving of ground-based data, and whether there is a vision for the formation of archives from ground-based observatories.