Code Briefing: NASA Will Release All Its Research as Open Data

In a groundbreaking move for open science, NASA has announced it will be releasing all the research it funds to the public for free. This new policy is part of NASA‘s Open Science Action Plan to enhance scientific transparency and accessibility.

As one of the largest research organizations in the world, with over 1,000 projects spanning space exploration, Earth science, aeronautics, and more, NASA generates a massive amount of valuable data and knowledge. Making all of this openly available could usher in a new era of scientific breakthroughs and space-based innovations.

What Does NASA‘s Open Data Include?

NASA‘s open data mandate encompasses a wide range of research outputs:

• Peer-reviewed publications and scholarly articles from NASA-funded research
• Raw and processed datasets from NASA missions, experiments, and models
• Open-source software, code repositories, and computational models
• Data visualization and analysis tools
• Machine-readable metadata, documentation, and data dictionaries

The scope is truly astronomical. NASA‘s data archives include:

• Over 100 petabytes of observational data from spacecraft and telescopes
• Millions of images, videos, and audio recordings capturing the wonders of our universe
• Terabytes of climate and weather data tracking Earth‘s vital signs
• Hundreds of thousands of flight test reports, incident logs, and safety records
• Decades of experimental results from fields like astrobiology and materials science

NASA aims to make all this data available in open, interoperable, and machine-readable formats, following FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data principles. This means using standard metadata tags, permanent identifiers, APIs, and self-describing data formats that enable easy reuse and integration.

Importantly, the new policy requires that NASA-funded researchers make publications and supporting data available at the time of publication without embargo periods. It also encourages researchers to share data openly while respecting privacy, security, and intellectual property rights.

The Power of Open Data

The benefits of open data are well-documented. By allowing anyone to freely access, use, and distribute data, we can:

• Accelerate the pace of scientific discovery. With open data, researchers can more easily build upon existing knowledge, test new hypotheses, and collaborate across disciplines and borders. One economic analysis estimated that open data could increase the annual rate of scientific discovery by 5-10%.

• Enhance transparency and reproducibility. Open data allows independent verification of scientific claims, reducing the risk of fraud or sloppy analysis. It can also help identify flaws, biases, or limitations in data collection and interpretation. Studies have shown that published research with open data gets cited more often and has higher rates of reproducibility.

• Spur innovation and entrepreneurship. Giving companies and startups free access to high-quality government data can stimulate the development of new products, services, and business models. One McKinsey report estimated that open data could generate over $3 trillion per year in economic value across seven key domains, from education to transportation.

• Engage citizen scientists and students. Open data invites the public to participate directly in the scientific process. It enables hands-on learning, creative exploration, and novel applications of data beyond what the original researchers envisioned. NASA has long championed citizen science through programs like GLOBE Observer, which lets anyone contribute environmental observations using their smartphone.

• Inform decision-making and public policy. With access to the same data that policymakers and government agencies use, the public can more effectively advocate for their interests, scrutinize policy choices, and develop community-based solutions. Organizations like the Sunlight Foundation are using open data to advance government transparency and accountability.

NASA‘s Open Data Pioneers

While NASA‘s latest move significantly expands access to its research, the agency is no stranger to open data. In fact, NASA has been a pioneer in making its data available to the public for decades.

Some prominent examples of NASA‘s open data projects:

• GeneLab: An open repository of space biology datasets from experiments on the International Space Station, NASA spacecraft, and ground-based studies. GeneLab has enabled new insights into the effects of microgravity on living organisms, with applications for human health and space exploration.

• NASA Earth Exchange (NEX): A big data platform that combines state-of-the-art supercomputing, Earth system modeling, remote sensing data from NASA satellites, and a scientific social network to study Earth processes and climate change. NEX has spurred breakthroughs in areas like flood prediction, crop yield forecasting, and wildfire monitoring.

• Planetary Data System (PDS): A long-term digital data archive that makes NASA‘s planetary science data accessible to researchers and the public. PDS includes raw and processed images, spectra, and other data products from missions like Cassini, New Horizons, and Mars rovers. It has enabled groundbreaking discoveries about the formation and evolution of our solar system.

• NASA‘s Open Source Projects: The agency has over 500 open source software projects on GitHub, spanning areas like aeronautics, robotics, climate modeling, and astrophysics. These projects include libraries, tools, and applications that anyone can use, modify, and redistribute. Some popular examples are the OpenMDAO optimization framework and the NASA 3D Resources database of printable models.

By embracing open data and open source principles, NASA has not only advanced its own mission of scientific discovery but also enriched the global research ecosystem. Other agencies and institutions are following suit, signaling a larger shift towards open science.

Technical Details of NASA‘s Open Data Initiative

To implement its open data policy, NASA is leveraging a suite of technologies and standards:

• Cloud computing: NASA is moving its datasets to commercial cloud platforms like Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure to enable scalable storage, processing, and distribution of massive data volumes. Cloud-based data repositories can handle petabyte-scale datasets while providing elastic computing resources for data-intensive analysis.

• Application programming interfaces (APIs): NASA is developing APIs that allow programmatic access to its datasets, metadata, and data services. These include RESTful web services, language-specific libraries, and command line tools that enable automated data discovery, retrieval, and integration into workflows.

• Data formats and metadata standards: To make its data FAIR, NASA is adopting open, non-proprietary data formats like NetCDF, HDF, and GeoTIFF, which are self-describing and machine-readable. It‘s also using standardized metadata schemas like Dublin Core, schema.org, and DCAT to classify and describe datasets consistently.

• Data management platforms: NASA is investing in data management solutions that streamline the curation, publication, and preservation of research data. Platforms like Figshare, Dataverse, and CKAN enable researchers to document, version, and share their data, while assigning persistent identifiers like DOIs for long-term access and citation.

• Data visualization and analysis tools: To make its data more accessible and actionable for users, NASA is developing web-based tools for data visualization, exploration, and analysis. Examples include Worldview for browsing satellite imagery, Giovanni for geospatial data analysis, and Eyes for interactive visualizations of Earth and space missions.

By combining these technologies, NASA aims to create an open data ecosystem that is scalable, interoperable, and user-friendly. It‘s also collaborating with academic institutions, industry partners, and other government agencies to develop shared data infrastructure and standards.

Open Data in Action: Success Stories

NASA‘s open data is already fueling discoveries and innovations across various fields. Some examples:

• Identifying asteroids: Researchers used NASA‘s open astronomical data to develop machine learning models that can identify near-Earth asteroids more accurately than traditional methods. This could help protect our planet from potential impact events.

• Mapping global air pollution: By combining data from NASA satellites with ground-based sensors and citizen science observations, scientists created high-resolution maps of air pollution levels around the world. These maps are helping cities target emissions reduction efforts and improve public health outcomes.

• Improving agricultural forecasting: Companies like Descartes Labs are using NASA‘s open Earth observation data to develop predictive models for crop yields, drought risk, and food security. By providing farmers with more accurate and timely information, these tools can help optimize agricultural practices and enhance resilience to climate change.

• Discovering new exoplanets: NASA‘s open data from the Kepler and TESS missions has enabled citizen scientists to detect hundreds of new exoplanet candidates, including potentially habitable worlds. Projects like Planet Hunters engage the public in the search for Earth-like planets beyond our solar system.

• Advancing cancer research: Scientists used NASA‘s open GeneLab data to study how microgravity affects human health, particularly in relation to cancer. They identified key genes and pathways that could be targeted for new cancer therapies, demonstrating the value of space-based research for earthly applications.

These are just a few examples of the power of open data to drive scientific and societal progress. As more of NASA‘s research becomes openly available, we can expect to see even more innovative applications emerge.

Challenges and Future Directions

While NASA‘s open data policy is a major step forward, there are still challenges to realizing its full potential:

• Data privacy and security: Some datasets may contain sensitive or personally identifiable information that needs to be protected. NASA will need robust procedures for anonymizing and safeguarding such data before release.

• Data quality and interoperability: Ensuring data is accurate, complete, and well-documented is essential for reuse and reproducibility. NASA will need to invest in data curation, metadata standards, and quality control processes to maintain the integrity of its open data.

• Sustainable funding and infrastructure: Providing open access to data requires ongoing investment in storage, computing, and human resources. NASA will need sustainable funding models and partnerships to support open data infrastructure over the long term.

• Equity and inclusion: Making data open is not enough to ensure equitable access and use. NASA will need to engage diverse communities, provide training and support, and address barriers to participation to truly democratize its data.

Despite these challenges, the future of open science at NASA looks bright. As the agency‘s chief data officer Ron Thompson explains, "NASA has over 100 years of data, and we‘re adding to it every day. Our goal is to make that data accessible, interoperable, and reusable so that researchers, industry, and the public can use it to make new discoveries and create new products and services."

With its unparalleled wealth of scientific data and its commitment to open science, NASA is poised to unlock new frontiers of knowledge and innovation for the benefit of all. As citizen scientist and open science advocate Nico Schlömer puts it:

"NASA‘s open data is a treasure trove for science and humanity. It‘s not just about advancing research, but also about engaging the public in the excitement of exploration and discovery. When everyone can access and explore the data, we all become explorers."

Get Involved

Interested in diving into NASA‘s open data? Here are some ways to get started:

• Explore NASA‘s Open Data Portal: Browse and download datasets from across NASA‘s missions and research areas at data.nasa.gov. You can also access APIs, visualizations, and developer resources.

• Contribute to NASA‘s Open Source Projects: Check out NASA‘s GitHub repository to find open source software, tools, and models you can use or contribute to. You can also submit issues, feature requests, and pull requests to help improve these projects.

• Participate in NASA Challenges: NASA regularly hosts open innovation challenges that invite the public to use its open data to solve real-world problems. Keep an eye on challenge.gov for upcoming opportunities.

• Join a Citizen Science Project: NASA supports numerous citizen science projects that allow anyone to contribute to scientific research using open data. Check out science.nasa.gov/citizenscience to find a project that interests you, from classifying galaxies to measuring light pollution.

• Attend Open Data Events: NASA hosts and participates in various events related to open data, such as the annual Space Apps Challenge, Open Data Day, and Earth Science Data Systems workshops. These events provide opportunities to learn, network, and collaborate with other open data enthusiasts.

As NASA administrator Bill Nelson says, "We‘re opening the doors to innovation and discovery for researchers, enterprises, and citizens alike. Our open science initiative will accelerate the incredible work NASA is doing in science and exploration by making our data more accessible to the world."

The invitation is open. The data is waiting. The universe is yours to explore.