Data Policy

One of EOL's primary objectives is to foster scientific research by providing to the Community simple and timely access to and use of all data collected by EOL Platforms and Facilities. This EOL Data Policy applies to data collected by those Platforms. Also relevant is a set of Implementation Guidelines and Definitions (http://www.eol.ucar.edu/dir_off/datapol_guidelines.html), which are designed to be modified as circumstances change.

This policy is to be made available to all Platform Principal Investigators immediately after Facility support for a Research Project has been granted. An acknowledgment of receipt and statement of understanding of this Policy is required before the field phase of an experiment begins.

EOL Data Policy

• In the context of this Policy, EOL, to the best of its ability, collects and makes available Research Project data to the Community. Further, EOL may provide tools to Scientific Investigators to access, use and analyze such data and, on a time-available basis, EOL may provide consulting to Scientific Investigators on the use and function of such tools.
• For a certain period of time, and based on available resources, EOL will maintain an archive of all Research Project data acquired through the use of EOL Research Platforms and data-acquisition systems.
• EOL will maintain access to archived data for a period of at least ten years from data acquisition. After ten years, data will be placed in a "non-maintained" category, where the existing state of information and files would be preserved on the NCAR Mass-Store; continued existence of the data would then be subject to characteristic limitations and lifetimes of Mass Store files. To the extent feasible, EOL will maintain continued automatic access to those Mass Store bitfiles, even when EOL has abandoned maintenance of code used to read the data in those files.
• EOL encourages complete, open access to all NSF-sponsored data sets. All data collected using EOL Facilities and archived by EOL will be made available to the Community upon request and at Out-Of-Pocket Expense , subject to possible limited restrictions set forth in other Policy Items and Implementation Guidelines.
• Only under certain specific conditions, and for no more than one year after final Production Data Set release, will EOL limit access to an NSF sponsored data set (see the Implementation Guidelines for more details).
• When EOL data are made available in the field for operational decision support, all Scientific Investigators involved in the project shall have equal access to those data, limited only by remote-site bandwidth for large data sets.
• If EOL uses NSF funds, whether or not through the NSF OFAP process, to rent or lease Research Project instruments, the data generated from these instruments shall be treated in the same manner as data from EOL's own Research Platforms.
• Should prior arrangement be made for EOL to log, archive, or distribute data from independent instruments, then EOL Data Policies pertaining to sharing of those data shall apply.
• When a Scientific Investigator collects data with his/her own instrument(s) during a Research Project, and that instrument is located on an EOL Platform or at an EOL site, EOL will generally have no role in the archival or distribution of those data. EOL does require that Project PIs be made aware of any co-location of instrumentation, and further requests that the Scientific Investigator reach agreement, in writing, with other Research Project Scientific Investigators concerning the terms for access, distribution and sharing of both exclusively-collected data and EOL Platform-collected data. A copy of such agreement will be given to the EOL Director at least two weeks prior to the data acquisition phase of the Research Project.

Acknowledgement

This Policy reflects the best accommodation for serving the Community regarding the access, use and distribution of Research Project data. Therefore, unless a Platform PI or Scientific Investigator requests a justifiable exception to this Policy, or the NSF or other funding source or sponsor requires an exception, this Policy shall govern the handling of data by all Scientific Investigators subscribing to EOL data.

EOL and Scientific Investigators acknowledge that this document represents EOL's working Data Policy, and will be implemented as stated. This Policy is not to be construed, in any manner, as an agreement to provide specific data or access to data. EOL reserves the right to make changes to this Policy.