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What is the ESDIS Metrics System?

NASA's Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS) Metrics System (EMS) collects information from all ingest, archive, and distribution interfaces throughout NASA's Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) and analyzes data on the use of products and services stored in databases or delivered via the internet. Specifically, EMS collects and organizes various data file metrics from EOSDIS Data Providers. The metrics data and the analysis reports generated from EMS provide NASA managers the information needed to determine how to best apply resources to support the science community.

What is Web Analytics?

The EMS web metrics component is a cloud solution web analytics service that collects, tracks, and reports on EOSDIS Data Provider website traffic. Successfully used, enterprise analytics support key design and development decisions and help create relevant customer experiences.

  • Traditionally web analytics are considered the analysis of data captured on a website: click-throughs, page views, path analysis, recency and frequency, etc.
  • Digital analytics is the capture and analysis of data from all possible sources. It includes traditional website analytics, as well as search, social media, mobile, and (increasingly) offline data. Digital analytics technologies are designed to capture, manage, and process this broader, more complex and more value-added “Big Data.”

EMS replaced the traditional IBM NetInsight web analytics program in 2017 with the digital analytics product Google Analytics 360.

EMS Data File and Cloud Web Analytics Data Flows_Final

EMS Data File and Cloud Web Analytics Data Flows

What Digital Analytics Tools are Available?

  • Google Analytics (GA) - Reporting tool to analyze and report on your website traffic
  • Google Tag Manager (GTM) - Tagging tool that allows you to manage your Tags, Triggers, and Variables without editing code
  • Data Studio - Visualization tool that turns your data into fully customizable informative reports and dashboards that are easy to read and share
  • Search Console - Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Tool that helps you monitor, maintain, and troubleshoot your site's presence in Google Search results
  • BigQuery - A fully-managed, serverless data warehouse that enables scalable analysis over petabytes of data
  • CrazyEgg - Offers easily accessible information about your how visitors interact with the site (snapshots, heatmaps, confetti maps, etc.)

How are EMS and Web Analytics Used?

Data Providers supply data files with information on archive, ingest, distribution, special services, offline ordering, media distribution, and other non-web activities to EMS. EMS files are then processed into the EMS Oracle database, resulting in the creation of archive, ingest, and distribution metrics and reports. EMS provides the users with access to the data file metrics, reports, and errors via the APEX/HTMLDB web interface that queries the EMS Oracle database.

In addition to EMS’s HTMLDB/APEX datafile user interface, EMS supports 2 types of digital analytics interfaces to report on Data Provider website usage metrics. HTMLDB/APEX is used to report on Data Provider Earth science satellite data processing, archiving, and distribution. The digital analytics interfaces are used to report on the data information, services, and handling tools on Data Providers web sites. Thus, digital analytics products collect usage information on Earth science web data and interfaces used to view imagery and order and download the data products.

The primary digital analytics reporting interface, Google Analytics 360, permits users access to their website’s metrics data for the purpose of generating reports on all key web metrics. These reports help in understanding the website and application visitor needs, and to better evaluate the performance of the website’s content, products, and more. Crazy Egg, a second website analytics tool, helps better understand a customers’ behavior on a given web page and provides insight on how page features and content are being used. This information, in turn, aids in optimizing page design for a better visitor experience.

How do you get Access to EMS and the Web Analytics Tools?

Additional Information

Contact Us

NASA Point of Contact
Nicholas Doty
nicholas.l.doty@nasa.gov

Task Manager
Chan Yee
chan.yee@nasa.gov

Email Earthdata Support with questions, comments, or technical issues.