The Comprehensive Large Array-data Stewardship System (CLASS) Program is partnering with NOAA's National Data Centers (NNDCs) to strengthen the understanding of environmental data. CLASS will work with the NNDCs and directly with data producers in negotiating and maintaining new data, information, and metadata submissions.

CLASS shall provide the mechanisms by which NNDCs may securely store, maintain, and provide access to data, information, and metadata holdings for indefinite periods. CLASS will work with data producers to assure that data submissions to CLASS meet required standards for science data and information quality as well as metadata.

CLASS currently has operational nodes in Suitland, Maryland and at the National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, North Carolina; and a node at the National Geophysical Data Center in Boulder, Colorado planned to be operational in early 2007.

CLASS is working with the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) in Silver Spring, Maryland to develop a prototype in support of archiving NODC data sets. CLASS is also performing pilot development of the Global Earth Observation Integrated Data Environment (GEO-IDE) to support standards, application program interfaces, metadata, and common data formats.