Meeting Today's Data Life Cycle Expectations: Retrofitting Historical Sea Ice Data Records

Abstract:

The National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center (NSIDC DAAC) has been archiving and distributing passive microwave data for over two decades. In recent years the passive microwave sea ice data sets have become very popular as they showcase the changes in our polar regions. These data sets were created during a time before detailed provenance was deemed important. As a result, the NSIDC DAAC has not required detailed data provenance for these legacy data sets. However, in the aftermath of Climategate and with the ever growing popularity of these data, it is becoming more important to properly capture and make available the provenance for these data sets, from data set production information to data set documentation. In this presentation, we will examine the experiences the NSIDC DAAC has had in changing our culture for capturing information over the life cycle of our data sets.