19th
International CODATA Conference
Category: Interoperability
The Space Physics Archive Search and Exchange (SPASE) Data Access and Retrieval System
Dr. James R. Thieman
(thieman@nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov)
National Space Science Data Center, NASA/GSFC,
The Space Physics Archive Search and Exchange (SPASE) is a collaborative development
effort among multi-institution, international, space physics data holding organizations
intended to allow science users to find space physics data of interest, intercompare
the data, and retrieve selected data sets or portions of data sets. The search
would be done across multiple data centers through a single search initiated
through a network accessible interface. The intent is also to work together
with the newly developing Virtual Observatories such as the Virtual Solar Observatory,
the Virtual Space Physics Observatory, the Virtual Heliospheric Observatory, etc. The effort involves creation
of a common space physics data model and development of an intermediate level
of software that will translate queries into the search mechanisms specific
to each of the data centers. The results of the search are then to be put into
a common format to present to the user. Thus, there is no need to change the
software and search procedures used at the individual data holding institutions.
Metadata entry tools are planned to ease the translation of the metadata to
be found at the archive locations to the common metadata format needed for the
SPASE searching. Data set intercomparison tools will
enable determination of which data sets or portions of data sets are useful
for the purposes of the scientist/user and need to be requested from the data
provider. The present status of the efforts and plans for the future will be
discussed.