Operational Solutions for Increasing the Value and Usability of Earth Science Data via a Data Quality Framework

The quality of Earth science data products and the information used to convey the quality of these products is becoming increasingly important for fundamental research, applied sciences, education, and decision making. Conveying information about data quality to users in a consistent, easily understandable, and usable manner helps to elevate the fundamental value and trust of data and promotes proper use to prevent misapplication and misunderstanding of data to help drive more sound scientific conclusions and decision making. The Data Quality Working Group (DQWG), one of NASA’s Earth Science Data System Working Groups, was formed in 2014. The DQWG conducted collaborative activities involving representative NASA Distributed Active Archive Centers (DAACs) and data producers to collect and analyze data quality use cases to better understand the needs of users, data producers, and DAACs in relation to NASA’s broad collection of Earth science data, which are primarily derived from but not limited to space-based remote sensing platforms and instruments. These activities have resulted in actionable recommendations to address the four phases of managing information on data quality - capturing, describing, facilitating discovery, and enabling use. This past year, the DQWG prepared and submitted four technical documents to the NASA Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS) Project's Standards Office (ESO), summarizing recommendations regarding management of information on science quality as well as product quality. This presentation provides a look at the primary recommendations as well as the four technical documents, including the NASA Data Management Plan templates for DAACs and data producers. In addition, we will provide an overview of the working group's approach and highlight key outcomes that led to these recommendations and the technical documents. While these recommendations and data management templates are targeted for NASA Earth science data, other outside organizations, repositories, and institutions may benefit. It is expected that by the time of this presentation, these key technical documents will have been published as open access documents. To support the broader Earth science community (both domestic and international), members of the Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP) have established the Information Quality Cluster (IQC) as part of the Data Stewardship Committee. The IQC is an open forum and collaboration area that encourages continued discovery and exchange of ideas and operational utilization of quality assurance and control practices to help foster more complete and consistent stewardship of Earth science data and information. Based on the Earth Science data product life cycle, the IQC has addressed and categorized the multiple dimensions of data and information quality from the perspective of quality stages referred to as: Science, Product, Stewardship, and Service. Scientific quality consists of data product accuracy, precision, and uncertainty estimates and is primarily associated with the defining, developing, calibrating, and validating stages. A recent effort to develop a whitepaper on Earth science data uncertainty is just one of the latest examples of the ways in which the IQC has engaged the broader community to identify and address data and information quality challenges that are often untenable within smaller, more constrained working groups. In summary, this presentation intends to provide an expository summary of both the individual and joint multi-year efforts of the NASA DQWG and ESIP IQC, with a primary focus on activities and deliverables over the past year and a forward-looking preview of the challenges that lie ahead.