GSFC/Space Sciences Directorate Visiting Committee Reviews NSSDC and other SSD Data Centers

By Joe King

On February 14 and 15, 2002, the data-intensive activities of Goddard's Space Science Directorate (SSD) were reviewed by a specially convened panel of SSD's standing Visiting Committee. The panel was chaired by Dr. Roger Brissenden of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and consisted of three each of astrophysicists, space plasma/solar physicists and information technology experts. The activities reviewed were those of the NSSDC and its partners, the Astrophysics and Space Physics Data Facilities, the Solar Data Analysis Center (SDAC), and the High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center (HEASARC). Also discussed was the re-engineering of flight operations and data systems for the Polar, Wind and Geotail spacecraft missions. The overriding question was whether SSD and its elements were effectively carrying out their science-enabling responsibilities.

SSD and its data elements are now awaiting formal feedback from the Visiting Committee. Initial feedback provided as the review was ending included congratulations to the SSD team "on their accomplishments and clear commitment to providing excellent science service and in performing world-class research." The staff was recognized as "deeply invested in the success of SSD's mission."

Relative to SSDOO (i.e., NSSDC and its ADF and SPDF partners), the committee's initial feedback noted being impressed by the range and quality of activities and referred to the long-term archiving activities as functioning extremely well. It recommended assessing the "extension of the CDAWeb activity etc. along the lines of a Virtual Observatory for space physics." Finally, it suggested a comparison between the ADF/NSSDC Astronomical Data Center and other data centers such as the CDS (Strasbourg) be conducted to maximize cooperation and to determine if any duplication in activities exist.

Initial feedback to SSD also included the recommendation that SSD should conduct a review of SSDOO's activities other than long-term archiving to "validate or redefine SSDOO's charter for future work in these areas."

It is likely that the formal report from the Visiting Committee to SSD will be made web-accessible to interested parties. If and when this happens, we will identify the relevant URL here.