EOSDIS
NASA program capability

The Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) provides broad access to a comprehensive set of earth science data and information collected from terrestrial and space-based assets. EOSDIS provides User Support, Data Archive, Management and Distribution, Information Management, and Product Generation for casual users and research scientists from the United States and international communities.[1] EOSDIS is a core function delivered by NASA's Earth Science Data Systems Program and is executed by the NASA Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS) Project.[2]

Overview

EOSDIS ingests, processes, archives, and distributes data from a large number of Earth-observing satellites[3][4] and provides end-to-end capabilities for managing NASA's Earth science data from various sources – satellites, aircraft, field measurements, and various other programs.[5] For the Earth Observing System (EOS) satellite missions, EOSDIS provides capabilities for command and control, scheduling, data capture and initial (Level 0) processing.[6]

These capabilities, constituting the EOSDIS Mission Operations, are managed by the Earth Science Mission Operations (ESMO) Project. NASA network capabilities transport the data to the science operations facilities. EOSDIS comprises processing facilities and Distributed Active Archive Centers across the United States.[7] These processing facilities and DAACs serve hundreds of thousands of users worldwide, providing hundreds of millions of data files each year covering many Earth science disciplines. The EOSDIS project, as of September 2012, reported it contained approximately 10 PB of data in its database, with ingestion of approximately 8.5 TB daily.

The remaining capabilities of EOSDIS constitute the EOSDIS Science Operations, which are managed by the Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS) Project. These capabilities include: generating higher-level (Level 1-4) science data products for EOS missions; archiving and distributing data products from EOS and other satellite missions, and aircraft and field measurement campaigns. The EOSDIS science operations are performed within a distributed system of many interconnected nodes (Science Investigator-led Processing Systems and distributed, discipline-specific, Earth science Distributed Active Archive Centers) with specific responsibilities for producing, archiving, and distributing Earth science data products. The Distributed Active Archive Centers serve a large and diverse user community (as indicated by EOSDIS performance metrics) by providing capabilities to search and access science data products and specialized services.[8]

History

From early 1980 through 1986, NASA supported pilot data system studies to assess the feasibility and development of publicly accessible electronic data systems. Part of the congressional approval of the EOS mission in 1990[9] included the NASA Earth Science Enterprise, which supported the development of a long-term data and information system (EOSDIS). This system would be accessible to the science research community and the broader public, built on a distributed open architecture. With these functional requirements for space operations control and product generation for EOS, the EOSDIS would also be responsible for the data archival, management, and distribution of all NASA Earth science mission instrument data during the mission life.[10]

Distributed Active Archive Centers

EOSDIS Distributed Active Archive Centers are custodians of EOS data, provide long-term storage and preservation, and ensure that users can easily access data. Their specific Earth system science discipline distinguishes each center.[11][12] In addition to the search-and-order capabilities provided by the Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) and the Common Metadata Repository (or CMR, which has replaced the former EOS Clearinghouse, or ECHO), the Distributed Active Archive Centers have individual online systems that allow them to provide unique services for users of a particular type of data. The center-specific systems emphasize data products, services, and data-handling tools unique to the DAAC.[13]

Global Change Master Directory

The Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) is a directory for Earth science data and services.[14] The GCMD database currently has more than 30,000 Earth science data sets and service descriptions covering all aspects of Earth and environmental sciences. One can use the search box or select from the available keywords to search for data and services.[15]

Common Metadata Repository (CMR)

Formerly known as the EOS ClearingHouse (ECHO), CMR is a metadata catalog of NASA's EOS data and a registry for related data services (e.g., reformatting, pattern recognition). CMR's catalog contains over 3,200 data sets held at 12 EOSDIS DAACs. Users can access the data and services by using general or community-tailored clients that access CMR using a series of Application Program Interfaces (APIs)[16] defined using web services.

Earthdata Search replaced Reverb as EOSDIS's web-based client for discovering and ordering cross-disciplinary data from CMR's metadata holdings in January 2018. Earthdata Search allows users, including those without specific knowledge of the data, to search science data holdings, retrieve high-level descriptions of data sets and detailed descriptions of the data inventory, view browse images, and submit orders via CMR to the appropriate data providers.

  • Cross-DAAC searches through Earthdata Search[17] – use the Common Metadata Repository (CMR)[18]

Distributed Active Archive Centers

A Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC) is a part of EOSDIS. DAACs process, archive, document, and distribute data from NASA's past and current Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites and field measurement programs. Each of the twelve DAACs serves one or more specific Earth science disciplines and provides its user community with data products, data information, user services, and tools unique to its particular science.

The following is a list of DAACs and data specializations:[19][20]

See also

References

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

  1. ^ "Your Gateway to NASA 
Earth Observation Data". Earthdata.nasa.gov. Retrieved January 11, 2026.
  2. ^ "Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS) Project". Earthdata.nasa.gov. 3 May 2019.
  3. ^ "Earth Science Data". NASA Science. October 15, 2015. Retrieved 2016-08-25.
  4. ^ "Earth Science Missions: Current Fleet". NASA. Retrieved January 11, 2026.
  5. ^ Esfandiari, M.; Ramapriyan, H.; Behnke, J.; Sofinowski, E. (2006-07-01). "Evolution of the Earth Observing System (EOS) Data and Information System (EOSDIS)". 2006 IEEE International Symposium on Geoscience and Remote Sensing. pp. 309–312. doi:10.1109/IGARSS.2006.84. hdl:2060/20090003203. ISBN 0-7803-9510-7. S2CID 28704068.
  6. ^ Murphy, Kevin (13 March 2014). "NASA's Earth Observing Data and Information System (EOSDIS) - Overview and Collaboration" (PDF). FDC, EU-funded service contract (89/PP/ENT/2011 - Lot 1). Copernicus Big Data Workshop, Brussels, Belgium. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 August 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
  7. ^ "Earth Science Data - NASA Science". science.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2016-08-25.
  8. ^ Panel to Review EOSDIS Plans: Final Report. National Academies. 1994-01-01.
  9. ^ Behnke, J.; Kittel, D. (2017-12-01). Looking Back at 25 Years With NASA's EOSDIS Distributed Active Archive Centers. AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts (Report). Vol. 2017. pp. IN43A–0060. Bibcode:2017AGUFMIN43A0060B.
  10. ^ EOSDIS Lessons Learned - Climate Data Records from Environmental Satellites: Interim Report - The National Academies Press. 2004. p. 124. doi:10.17226/10944. ISBN 978-0-309-09168-8.
  11. ^ "Topics | Earthdata". 24 August 2021.
  12. ^ Wanchoo, Lalit; James, Nathan; Ramapriyan, Hampapuram K. (2017). "NASA EOSDIS Data Identifiers: Approach and System". Data Science Journal. 16: 10.5334/dsj–2017–015. Bibcode:2017DatSJ..16...15W. doi:10.5334/dsj-2017-015. ISSN 1683-1470. PMC 6839702. PMID 31708979.
  13. ^ "NASA Earth Data - Data Tools". NASA. Retrieved January 11, 2026.
  14. ^ Blumenfeld, Josh (2017-10-05). The Global Change Master Directory: Data, Services, and Tools Serving the International Science Community | Earthdata (Report).
  15. ^ ECHO – Application Program Interfaces (APIs) for Search and Order Global Change Master Directory
  16. ^ "Application Programming Interface (API) | Earthdata". 28 July 2021.
  17. ^ "Earth Data Search Portal". NASA. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
  18. ^ "Common Metadata Repository (CMR) | Earthdata". 5 June 2019.
  19. ^ Earth Science Data Systems, NASA (2015-04-10). "EOSDIS Components". Earthdata. Retrieved 2022-11-26.
  20. ^ Baynes, Katie. "NASA Data Center Management Using the MMT" (PDF). www.fgdc.gov.
  21. ^ "Alaska Satellite Facility DAAC". University of Alaska. Retrieved January 11, 2026.
  22. ^ "Atmospheric Science Data Center (ASDC)". NASA. Retrieved January 11, 2026.
  23. ^ "Crustal Dynamics Data Information System (CDDIS)". NASA. Retrieved January 11, 2026.
  24. ^ "Global Hydrometeorology Resource Center Distributed Active Archive Center (GHRC DAAC)". NASA. Retrieved January 11, 2026.
  25. ^ "Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC)". NASA. Retrieved January 11, 2026.
  26. ^ "Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center (LP DAAC)". NASA. Retrieved January 11, 2026.
  27. ^ "Level 1 Atmosphere Archive and Distribution System (LAADS) DAAC". NASA. Retrieved January 11, 2026.
  28. ^ "NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center (NSIDC DAAC)". nsidc.org. Retrieved January 11, 2026.
  29. ^ "Oak Ridge National Laboratory DAAC (ORNL DAAC)". nasa.gov. Retrieved January 11, 2026.
  30. ^ "Ocean Color (OB.DAAC)". NASA. Retrieved January 11, 2026.
  31. ^ "Physical Oceanography DAAC". NASA. Retrieved January 11, 2026.
  32. ^ "Data From SEDAC Are Available Again in Earthdata Search". NASA Earth Data. Retrieved January 11, 2026.
  • "EOSDIS Official Website". NASA. Retrieved January 11, 2026.
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