NSIDC and NSIDC DAAC Overview

1. NSIDC and NSIDC DAAC Overview Author: Amanda Leon, 27 March 2019 Abridged version by Donna Scott for UWG 37 Meeting, 4 September 2019

2. NSIDC Overview NSIDC DAAC Overview

3. Overview of the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) NSIDC is a part of the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) at the University of Colorado Boulder.

4. Overview of the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) University of Colorado Boulder CIRES CIRES is a partnership of CU Boulder andNOAA Conducting innovative research that advances our understanding of the global, regional, and local environments and the human relationship with those environments, for the benefit of society. UCB is the #1 public university recipient of NASA research fundingUCB faculty and students are pioneering innovations in aerospace, biosciences, energy, Earth and environmental sciences, fundamental sciences and other major areas.

5. History of NSIDC Data Management NSIDC has served at the forefront of cryosphericdata management since 1976. 1976 –NSIDC was established when responsibility for the World Data Center (WDC) for Glaciology was transferred to CU-Boulder 1982 – Becomes part of CIRES 1983 – Receives NASA grant for archiving Nimbus-7 passive microwave data 1990 –Receives NSF funding to establish the Arctic System Science (ARCSS) Data Coordination Center 1993 – Receives NASA contract to establish the DAAC 1996 – Receives NSF funding to establish the Antarctic Data Coordination Center (ADCC) 1999 – Receives NSF funding to establish the Antarctic Glaciological Data Center (AGDC) 2002 – Receives International Arctic Research Center (IARC) funding to establish the Frozen Ground Data Center 2007 - Receives NSF funding to establish the Exchange for Local Observations and Knowledge of the Arctic (ELOKA) 2009 – Designated as an International Council for Science (ICSU) World Data System (WDS) when the WDC program was disbanded

6. NSIDC Funding By Sponsor By Award Type NSIDC FY2018, ending June 30, 2018 Total = $15.922M

7. Make fundamental contributions to cryospheric science and excel in managing data and disseminating information in order to advance understanding of the Earth system.

8. NSIDC Research Expertise NSIDC maintains a diverse research portfolio specializing in remote sensing of snow and ice, Arctic climate, frozen ground, ice sheets, glaciers.

9. NSIDC Data Management Expertise NSIDC’s strength in data management comes from the synergy with NSIDC research. Researchers and data managers collaborate to make data and services more relevant and valuable to the cryospheric community.

10. NSIDC Highlights NSIDC is a trusted source of data and information about the cryosphere. NSIDC is known for providing applications that make data accessible to a broad spectrum of users. NSIDC has high visibility as a result of the rapidly changing cryosphere. The NSIDC web site receives an average of 8 million visits per year. Greenland Ice Sheet Today provides daily images and information about melt conditions on Greenland.It is the 4th most visited page on the NSIDC web site. NSIDC is internationally known for TheArctic Sea Ice News and Analysis (ASINA), providing daily sea ice conditions and regular scientific analysis. ASINA is the most visited page on the NSIDC web site. In FY2018 it received 3.5 million visits.

11. CIRES DirectorWaleed Abdalati • CU's Research & Innovation OfficeTerri Fiez, Chancellor for Research & Innovation NSIDC Organization NSIDC is a matrixed organization with Service Groups providing functional staff to Programs & Projects such as the DAAC.

12. NSIDC Overview NSIDC DAAC Overview

13. NSIDC DAAC Organization The NASA DAAC is one of the data management programs at NSIDC. It is the largest source of funding at NSIDC.

14. DAACs and the EOSDIS Distributed Enterprise The Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) is a key core capability in NASA’s Earth Science Data Systems (ESDS) Program designed to perform a wide variety of functions in support of a global user community. The primary services provided by EOSDIS are user support, data archive, management and distribution, information management, and product generation, all of which are managed by 12 Distributed Active Archive Centers (DAACs) under the Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS) Project.

15. NSIDC DAAC Mission Steward NASA data on snow, sea ice, glaciers, ice sheets, ice shelves, frozen ground, soil moisture, cryosphere, and climate interactions, in support of research in global change detection, model validation, and water resource management. Statement of Work Goals • Ingest, archive and distribute Earth Science data designated for the EOSDIS Snow and Ice Distributed Active Archive Center using the EOSDIS infrastructure systems  • Provide operations support for acquiring, processing, archiving and distributing data for new and future missions as well as supporting/validating data from in-situ sources. Provide preservation content to ensure long term stewardship of NASA data assets.  • Meet needs of diverse community of users. Ensure data is archived and served in a way that facilitates its use. Recommend to NASA data formats or additional data products that might better serve community needs.  • Provided leadership in the cryospheric community on data formats, strategic services, data interoperability, data usability, and data capabilities. 

16. NSIDC DAAC History The NASA Snow and Ice DAAC has been in operation at NSIDC for over 25 years. • NASA awarded the first DAAC contract to NSIDC in 1993. • The first EOS mission assigned was MODIS on NASA Terra, launched in 1999. Currently operating in its sixth contract with NASA GSFC • Period of performance: 1 June 2018 – 31 May 2023 • 5-years: 1 base year with 4 option years NSIDC DAAC Managers • Ron Weaver (1993-2014) • Brian Johnson (2014-2017) • Amanda Leon (2017-present) NSIDC DAAC became an International Council for Science (ICSU) World Data System (WDS) Member in 2012 • Recertified in 2019; WDS now includes Core Trustworthy Data Repository Requirements

17. NSIDC DAAC Organization The NSIDC DAAC Management Team coordinates the execution of all DAAC contract activities. Provide program-level management and leadership Provide project-levelmanagement and leadership Provide subject matter coordination and leadership

18. NSIDC DAAC Organization • Raytheon on-site support • The DAAC utilizes staff from the Services Groups and expertise from the Science team to accomplish its requirements. • A majority of NSIDC staff has a scientific background, including User Services, Technical Writers, and Software Developers.

19. NSIDC DAAC Overview Mission Supportdata management and user support of satellite, airborne, and in-situ data Engineeringdevelop and maintain applications for science and data management needs User Servicesprovide general user support and resources, and web site and content Infrastructureadministration of computing and data storage infrastructure Operationsoperate and maintain data systems and archives Administration Program, staff and financial management

20. NSIDC DAAC Mission Support Mission Data Management Team • NSIDC DAAC provides domain-specific data stewardship for NASA data. • Establish cross-functional teams with mission-specific expertise enabling customized support for the data and scientific community. • Integrate an understanding of instruments, geophysical measurements, geospatial projections, data formats, and user needs unique to cryospheric research into all aspects of data management. • Data Management Lead • Technical Writer • User Services • Operations • Scientist • Science programmers

21. NSIDC DAAC Mission Support NSIDC DAAC manages a dynamic, heterogeneous collection of satellite, airborne, field and research data sets. Mission Validation Campaigns SMMR-SSM/I-SSMIS FIELD HMA Community Developed VIIRS MEaSUREs VIIRS RESEARCH SATELLITE AIRBORNE

22. NSIDC DAAC Data Production The NSIDC DAAC produces a suite of 14 passive microwave snow and ice data sets. Spanning late 1979 to the present, these data represent one of the longest environmental records from consistent satellite sources (SMMR, SSM/I, SSMIS). These data are used by: NASA mission data processing systems: MODIS, CERES, OMI, AERONET, GOES-R NSIDC sea ice and glacier melt monitoring applications Northern Hemisphere Southern Hemisphere

23. NSIDC DAAC Operations & Infrastructure IT Services • NSIDC DAAC operates a robust, scalable technical infrastructure to meet the growing needs of users and the requirements of robust, secure data management. • Maintains this environment, consisting of hardware, software, operational components and processes, while looking ahead for evolution into newer, more functional, and more cost-effective solutions. • Emphasizes comprehensive, accurate, and consistent metadata creation which provides the foundation for most data preservation and discovery functions.

24. NSIDC DAAC User Support Science Communications • NSIDC DAAC provides scientific support for data users through the DAAC User Services Office (USO) and the DAAC Scientist. • Provide a range of assistance for data users, including supporting users with data access, system interfaces, data formats and projections, data processing, and appropriate data use. • Utilize a variety of communication methods, including the Web site, mailing lists, social media, and in person events to educate users on available data, tools, and services.

25. NSIDC DAAC Systems Engineering Software Project Team • Project Lead • Developers • User Services • UI/UX • Web • Operations • Sys Admins • NSIDC DAAC has established a highly integrated, services-based architecture, which allows for the reuse of existing system components to develop new capabilities. • Applications are developed by cross-functional teams who integrate knowledge of user workflows, data needs, and uses of data into the software development process. • Agile software development methodologies are applied to take advantage of iterative releases and frequent user feedback.