International Planetary Data Alliance: Current and Future Plans

The International Planetary Data Alliance (IPDA) is a highly collaborative association of partners with the aim of improving the quality of planetary science data and services to the end users of space-based instrumentation. It has grown to more than a dozen member agencies. The goals of the IPDA are to support construction of compatible archives; support sharing of tools and software services; and facilitate global access to, and exchange of, high quality scientific data products managed across international boundaries. Ensuring proper capture, accessibility, and availability of the data is the task of the individual member space agencies.

The IPDA supports construction of compatible archives across agencies through several standards. It endorsed moving from PDS3 to PDS4 as the archiving standard for planetary data in 2012 with members activity collaborating on its development. The IPDA also endorsed SPICE for capturing ancillary data and published recommended content of the archiving component of a Memorandum of Understanding for international missions.

Sharing of tools between agencies has increased with PDS4. The PDS4 validation tool is used by several IPDA members, resulting in improved interoperability of data between agencies and robust testing of the tool itself. The Tool Registry acts as a virtual clearinghouse of planetary data-related tools produced by a variety of providers worldwide.

The IPDA facilitates global access and exchange of scientific data products managed across international boundaries. At present, REST based access services are in place between ESA, ISRO, and NASA, and high-level search between ESA and NASA is in place. Projects are underway to develop citation linkage with publications and to create bridges between IPDA and the IVOA (International Virtual Observatory Alliance).

The IPDA has made significant progress in the adoption of common standards, the development of compatible archives, and the establishment of open access policies. The efforts of IPDA, in working together, led to a common standard realized through the shared development of PDS4. Based on PDS4 progress, the IPDA sees discoverability, seamless access to data holdings, and increased tool support for using high quality peer reviewed data across international archives as key foci for the future of the IPDA.