What is the domain and who are the customers of the Archive and who are the producers of the data?
The Life Sciences Data Archive (LSDA) Project is responsible for collecting and disseminating data of NASA funded Life Sciences investigations that have flown in space. The Archives primary customer is the Life Sciences research community but it is also used by students, educators and the general public. The data archived in the LSDA is produced by both intramural and extramural investigators funded to perform flight experiments through NASA grants. It is anticipated that the archive may grow to include data from intramural and extramural investigations which are completely ground based.
There are two major types of data producers. The first is the NASA project office that designs and implements the experiment. The second type is the NASA funded Principal Investigator (PI). The Life Sciences Data Archive (LSDA) Project Offices at Ames Research Center and Johnson Space Center work closely with the Flight Project offices to acquire the data as an archival product and assist in distributing this data to the PIOs.
The current submission agreement between the LSDA and the PIOs is based on, as appropriate, cooperation, for previously flown experiments. New funding agreements include a contractual stipulation that the PI must supply the LSDA with raw data, analysed data and a final science report
These agreements are reached when investigations are selected for flight and funding and flight experiment development begins. At this time the investigators are sent a letter that informs them that upon the acceptance of funding they will be responsible for delivering the data collected as part of their investigation in a form usable by the sciences community one year post flight.
After this yearOs proprietary period the submission of data to the LSDA begins. To assist in its submission, the Data Archive Project (DAP) offices send the PI an inventory sheet listing expected data . The PI fills out the inventory sheet and returns it to the DAP office with information as to when the data submissions might occur. In order to clarify the Ousable formO requirement throughout the entire LSDA project, the LSDA is in the process of developing a post flight data reporting handbook that will explain exactly how the data should be provided to the archive.
The information objects collected and archived by the LSDA consist of measurements of various parameters in spreadsheet form, electron-micrographs, echocardiographs, video tapes, RACAL tapes, analog tapes, physical specimens, microscope slides, photographs, and hard copy logbooks, lab books and other documents.
The data collections are compiled per investigation, i.e., all Information Objects for a single experiment make a collection. Therefore during a typical ingest session each collection is cataloged and metadata is produced for all the Information Objects. Catalog entries are produced for each data element received. This metadata is entered into a database that is comprised of LSDA approved fields and use of valid values where available. This descriptive catalog information is developed by the LSDA personnel. This descriptive information provides layers of metadata for the collection of IOOs. Metadata is also created for the IO itself, describing the IO, the type of media, itOs location, etc. After the LSDA project creates this metadata set for the collection and the individual IOOs, the information goes through a validation process. This post-entry validation is accomplished by a second check of the data by the DAP Office Manager. Content validation is further ensured by sending the completed catalog entries to the data originator (PI, Flight Project Offices) for verification.
The LSDA has strict security concerns for data from human subjects which require sensitivity and secure handling due to the Human Data Privacy Act. Human data when received is coded to protect the identity of the crewmembers it was collected from. Security procedures include keeping the data on magneto-optical disks stored in a locked file cabinet in a cipher locked room. Overall security procedures stipulate that all digital data are backed up on a daily basis with off-site storage. Access to on-line servers is controlled through the use of password and/or address port filtering.
In most cases a set of data is kept in its original submission form. There are exceptions when the data submitted is on outdated media, for instance, and it is transferred to current media.
The LSDA is still in a developmental phase and data migration is ongoing. Therefore as yet we have no official migration policy. However the DAP offices are in the process of converting information on outdated media (RA60Os, RL02Os) to CD-ROM format.
The LSDA does not have any security concerns in users accessing the Master Catalog and non-human digital data. It is freely available to anyone on the internet. However, human data does have sensitive information, and therefore, there are security concerns. The human flight experiment data is subject to the Human Data Privacy Act, and therefore, security measures are required to control access to this data. The policies and procedures for access to the data are currently being developed.
The LSDA provides user support for questions and problems concerning the Master Catalog (on-line data request system) and for questions about the data being provided. The primary means of user feedback and support is through the NSSDC. Questions are addressed to the LSDA through on-line OWhat do you think?O links located throughout the system. From these links a web forms interface allows users to submit questions for support. Also the NSSDCOs Coordinated Request and User Support office provides assistance in answering OFrequently Asked QuestionsO. Specific questions about the data are addressed by the NSSDC Life Sciences Acquisition Scientist and the LSDA Program Scientist. Questions which can not be answered by either party are forwarded to the DAP office which provided the data, and from there in some instances to the PI who provided the data is contacted to answer the question.
Currently, the LSDA does not provide many value added services. The data are provided as stored on the server. Data are available in it raw and summarized form. These summarized data are provided by the investigator. Data which are received in a non standard format are converted to a more usable form. No data analysis tools are available through the LSDA. However, the DAP offices do ensure that all data sets have the minimum amount of information needed for understanding. (e.g. all column headings are provided, etc.). These are the only Ovalue addedO processes that come from the raw data.
Since the LSDA data is primarily disseminated via the internet, all data are on-line and free. There currently is no charge for data or documents. However, if significant requests are generated for hardcopy documents a processing fee for copying the document may be charged. As yet this has not been determined. In the future CD-ROMs with data may be generated. These CDs will be priced in order to recoup production and distribution costs.
Since the Master Catalog and non-human data in the LSDA are available to anyone on the internet there is no special security in place for the dissemination of data. However human data does have sensitive information and therefore there are security concerns. Limited dissemination of human data will be allowed using the policies and procedures that are currently being developed.
LSDA contains animal, plant, and human space flight data. LSDA is a unique archive in the sense that it provides both digital and non-digital information. This data can be both reproducible and non-reproducible. The non-reproducible data are therefore one of a kind, unique data that can not be duplicated.
URL: http://ssdoo.gsfc.nasa.gov/nost/isoas/us04/scenario-lsda.html
A service of NOST at NSSDC. Access statistics for this web are available. Comments and suggestion are always welcome.
Author: Elise Blaese
Curator: John Garrett (garrett@ncf.gsfc.nasa.gov) +1.301.441.4169
Responsible Official: Code 633.2 / Don Sawyer (sawyer@ncf.gsfc.nasa.gov) +1.301.286.2748
Last Revised: September, 1996, Elise Blaese (January 30, 1997, John Garrett)