Archive Issues Associated with NASA Earth Science Datasets

The Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS) Project at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center was established in the early 1990s to develop and maintain a core collection of NASA's critical earth science data. Part of its mission was to provide a home for legacy earth science data from early NASA missions. Examples of these datasets include data from such missions as NIMBUS (1960s) and the Heat Capacity Mapping Mission (HCMM) from the late 1970s at GSFC and the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE) from the late 1970s at Langley Research Center. Much of this information has been kept on old media and in many cases is not readily accessible by the science community. This presentation will describe several science data issues we have experienced as part of our efforts to recover data from these missions. We will share problems encountered with data formats, data resolution, representation, and documentation. The presentation will also suggestion best practices and identify key missing elements that would enable easier recovery if incorporated into future archives. The authors offer an opportunity to discuss plans for NASA's heritage assets and their disposition.