In July 2024, NASA released Version 2.0 of the Data Product Development Guide (DPDG) for Data Producers. The DPDG provides key information for developing Earth Science data products derived from remote sensing and in situ data. Version 2.0 of the DPDG includes major updates and new information such as formatting data for use in cloud environments and leveraging metadata to increase the findability, accessibility, interoperability, and reusability (the FAIR principles) of NASA datasets. The revised guide was produced for the Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS) Project by the DPDG Working Group, which is one of several Earth Science Data System Working Groups (ESDSWG).
"The guide is intended to promote data interoperability for the benefit of end users who need to use several datasets together for their research and applications," said Hampapuram (Rama) Ramapriyan, one of the DPDG's lead editors and a research scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Peter J.T. Leonard, senior scientist at Goddard, and Edward M. Armstrong, senior data scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California, were also lead editors of the guide.
What's New in Version 2.0
Updates to Version 2.0 include:
- A new section on cloud-optimized formats and services
- Guidance on mapping metadata attributes and aligning them to one or more of the 15 FAIR sub-principles
- Revisions to appendices regarding mapping of metadata attributes to profiles of the Unified Metadata Model (UMM-C, UMM-G, etc.)
- Additions to information relevant to data products from airborne and field campaigns, including a new figure that helps explain the difference between dimensions and coordinates for satellite and in situ airborne data within the context of producing netCDF/CF files
- New information relevant to users publishing their data to a NASA Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC) through NASA's Earthdata Pub
The DPDG logically outlines the typical development process for Earth Science data products to be archived by NASA's DAACs and makes recommendations for each step in the process. There are process recommendations such as key questions to consider while determining community needs, the benefits of creating sample data products and having them independently evaluated before proceeding to full-scale production, questions to review while selecting a data format, and an emphasis on the need to work closely with the DAAC or DAACs assigned to archive and distribute the produced data products.
The DPDG team shared drafts of the guide with a broad set of research community members through a review process led by the ESDIS Standards Coordination Office (ESCO) to get their input and ensure the document is high-quality and addresses user questions and needs.
"The DPDG contains an enormous wealth of information," said Leonard. "Particularly important is the information regarding the global and variable-level attributes that can be included in an Earth Science data product file. These attributes help make a data file discoverable and work well with plotting tools."
While data producers are not required to follow the DPDG guidelines, NASA believes these guidelines will help them create better, more consistent products. With Version 2.0 of the DPDG, data producers have up-to-date, best practice knowledge for making their products more relevant and easier for NASA's Earth science research community to access and use.
DPDG Authors
The DPDG team included the following members:
- Hampapuram K. Ramapriyan, research scientist, NASA Goddard
- Peter J.T. Leonard, senior scientist, NASA Goddard
- Edward M. Armstrong, senior data scientist, NASA JPL
- Siri Jodha Singh Khalsa, senior research scientist, NASA's National Snow and Ice Data Center DAAC (NSIDC DAAC)
- Deborah K. Smith, principal research scientist, University of Alabama in Huntsville
- Lena F. Iredell, principal software developer, NASA Goddard
- Daine M. Wright, systems engineer, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
- George J. Huffman, supervisory research physical scientist, NASA Goddard
- Tammy Walker, deputy manager, NASA's Oak Ridge National Laboratory DAAC (ORNL DAAC)
Explore the DPDG
Visit the Data Product Development Guide for Data Producers page to find more information about the DPDG, including a quick start guide, community recommendations for use, and previous versions of the resource.