How to archive your data in PDS Small Bodies Node (SBN)
In 5 Easy Steps
SBN Node archiving contacts:
Beatrice Mueller (bmueller@psi.edu)
1. How to get started
- If you are preparing a proposal that involves archiving data in PDS, email the SBN contact (above) while your proposal is in preparation. We can provide information to help with the archiving section of your proposal, and/or provide an SBN letter of support for the proposal. Also see the PDS Information for Proposers for additional resources.
- If your proposal is successful, let us know so we can add your project to our task list and allocate resources to help you and support your data.
- If you already have data you would like to archive in PDS, email the SBN contact (above) to inform us of your project and to start the process. You will be assigned an SBN helper to guide you through the process.
2. Assembling the PDS volume
- Most non-mission SBN data sets can be prepared using our On-Line Archiving Facility (OLAF), which allows you to upload your data files and enter the supporting information into a web form. OLAF assembles the PDS volume with all labels and other PDS-required files, ready for review and archiving. You don't need to learn PDS4 archiving standards to do this!
- For some SBN data sets, OLAF is not appropriate, or can be used only in part. In this case, the SBN contact person will work with you to help you prepare your data in the PDS-required structure for archiving. You might have to learn about PDS4 archiving standards.
- Send a sample of your data to SBN for evaluation of the best archiving method.
- -OR- Look at the OLAF file format requirements to determine if your data can be archived using OLAF. Regardless of whether you use OLAF, you may have to reformat your data slightly to conform with PDS file standards.
- With the help of your SBN contact, use OLAF or another method to assemble your data and supporting information into a PDS-ready volume.
3. Peer review
- PDS requires external peer review on all data before archiving. This is somewhat similar to a paper review, in that the data volume is reviewed by a panel of non-PDS planetary scientists to find any deficiencies or problems that need to be corrected before archiving. These deficiencies are called "liens".
- In most cases, the external peer review process takes about six weeks. It ends with a meeting (usually a telecon) of the review panel, SBN representatives, and you, to finalize the liens.
4. Liens Resolution
- The data provider (you) is responsible for correcting the liens. For OLAF data sets, this can be done in OLAF.
- Once the liens are corrected, SBN will check the data volume against the liens to insure that all have been resolved.
5. Archiving
- The data set will then be ingested into the PDS archive.
- The data set is given a citation as an electronic publication which is listed in ADS and which researchers who use the data can cite in their papers.
Updates
- For ongoing projects, you may wish to submit regular updates with additional data. Updates ordinarily go through the same preparation and peer review process described above.
- For mission data and other large ongoing data projects, the use of a peer-reviewed configuration-controlled data pipeline can obviate the need for peer review for subsequent data submissions.
Resources
To see the asteroid and dust data already archived in the PDS, see the SBN Asteroid and Dust Archive.
To see the comet data already archived in the PDS, see the SBN Comet Archive.
On-Line Archiving Facility (OLAF)
More resources to help data providers and proposers are available on the PDS front page. Be aware that if you use OLAF to prepare your data, you will not need to learn about PDS4 archiving standards.