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About Us

The Oak Ridge National Laboratory Distributed Active Archive Center (ORNL DAAC) for Biogeochemical Dynamics is a NASA Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) data center managed by the Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS) Project. The ORNL DAAC is operated by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and is a member of the Remote Sensing and Environmental Informatics Group of the Environmental Sciences Division (ESD).

If you have questions for the ORNL DAAC, please email the User Services Office.


The ORNL DAAC is proud to be a CoreTrustSeal Certified Repository. CoreTrustSeal is an international, community based, non-governmental, and non-profit organization promoting sustainable and trustworthy data infrastructures. For transparency, CoreTrustSeal publishes a public version of each certified repository's application, including the ORNL DAAC's applicationPDF.

Mission

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The mission of the ORNL DAAC is to assemble, distribute, and provide data services for a comprehensive archive of terrestrial biogeochemistry and ecological dynamics observations and models to facilitate research, education, and decision-making in support of NASA's Earth Science.

The ORNL DAAC's goals are to:

  • Serve as the primary data repository for data derived from NASA's Terrestrial Ecology program and Carbon Cycle Science and Ecosystems focus area.
  • Provide ground- and aircraft-based data to assess the accuracy and uncertainty of NASA's Earth Science missions.
  • Work with NASA to develop best practices, tools, and training for scientists who generate and use NASA Earth-observing data.
  • Facilitate synthesis and analysis by providing and integrating the diverse data required to address critical questions.

Data Use and Citation Policy

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Data Use

Data hosted by the ORNL DAAC is openly shared, without restriction, in accordance with NASA's Earth Science program Data and Information Policy.

Citation Policy

Bibliographic citations should be included in the References section of publications and other media to acknowledge those who have created the data, services, and tools provided by the ORNL DAAC. Proper citations include the authors, title, publisher, and Digital Object Identifier (DOI) and will allow the products to be discovered and re-used by others.

If you have questions about citations, email the User Services Office. The proper citation for each ORNL DAAC product is provided on its landing page and user guide.

Example Data Citation:

Roy, P.S., P. Meiyappan, P.K. Joshi, M.P. Kale, V.K. Srivastav, S.K. Srivasatava, M.D. Behera, A. Roy, Y. Sharma, R.M. Ramachandran, P. Bhavani, A.K. Jain, and Y.V.N. Krishnamurthy. 2016. Decadal Land Use and Land Cover Classifications across India, 1985, 1995, 2005. ORNL DAAC, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA. https://doi.org/10.3334/ORNLDAAC/1336

For more information on the importance of citing products, see:

Cook, R.B., S.K.S. Vannan, B.F. McMurry, D.M. Wright, Y. Wei, A.G. Boyer and J.H. Kidder. 2016. Implementation of data citations and persistent identifiers at the ORNL DAAC. Ecological Informatics. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoinf.2016.03.003

ESIP Data Preservation and Stewardship Committee. 2019. Data Citation Guidelines for Earth Science Data Version 2. Earth Science Information Partners. https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.8441816

Data Versioning and DOI Policy

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Data Versioning and DOI Policy

Effective 1 March 2021, the ORNL DAAC will assign a new Digital Object Identifier (DOI) to dataset updates where the previously published data values change. Historically, we have only changed the DOI when the underlying data preparation method or algorithm changed, but we generally did not change it when the data was reprocessed. However, in the 15 years since the ORNL DAAC started using DOIs for data, the consensus around best practice has evolved. We are making this change to bring the ORNL DAAC into alignment with that best practice consensus. This change is also part of our response to an ORNL DAAC User Working Group (UWG) suggestion to improve the visibility of dataset revisions, particularly in the citations, so that it is clear to readers of a scientific paper which specific revision of a dataset was used in the work. We will generally not change the DOI, however, when the dataset update only involves adding to the existing data, such as adding to the temporal extent, adding to the spatial extent, adding observations, adding additional variables (measurements), or other changes which only involve adding files to the dataset.

User Working Group

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The ORNL DAAC User Working Group (UWG) is an external advisory group established by ESDIS and tasked to:

  • Assist in defining and accomplishing the ORNL DAAC's goals.
  • Provide oversight and guidance on ORNL DAAC activities, including dataset acquisition, development of value-added products, user support, development activities, and operational functions.
  • Recommend annual work plans and advise on long-term planning.
  • Review interactions and agreements between NASA's Earth Science missions and the ORNL DAAC.

The UWG meets at least once per year to review the status of ORNL DAAC operations and to provide suggestions. Additional information about the responsibilities of the UWG can be found in the ORNL DAAC UWG CharterPDF.

The UWG is interested in hearing from users on how to improve the ORNL DAAC web platform, tools, and services, or about data that the ORNL DAAC should pursue. To provide input, email the ORNL DAAC User Services Office.

All Attendees
Attendees, including UWG members, at the October 2023 UWG Meeting that was held jointly with the Land Processes DAAC in Washington DC.

User Working Group Members

John Armston
Department of Geographical Sciences
University of Maryland
UWG Term 2019-2024
Specialty: LiDAR, forest structure and biomass, GEDI
Mallory Barnes
School of Public and Environmental Affairs
Indiana University
UWG Term 2021-2026
Specialty: environmental informatics, remote sensing and spatial analysis, and ecosystem ecology
Philip G. Brodrick
Research Technologist
Imaging Spectroscopy Group
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
UWG Term: 2022-2024
Specialty: imaging spectroscopy, machine learning / artificial intelligence, and terrestrial ecology
Dana Chadwick
Earth System Scientist
Research Scientist
Water and Ecosystems Group
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
UWG Term 2023-2025
Specialty: imaging spectroscopy, lidar, field sampling, ecosystems, critical zones, and landscape evolution
Kyla Dahlin (Chair)
Department of Geography
Michigan State University
UWG Term 2021-2026
Specialty: landscape and plant ecology, remote sensing, Earth system modeling
Erin Hestir
Department of Environmental Systems
University of California, Merced
UWG Term 2023-2025
Specialty: aquatic ecosystems, coastal systems, geospatial analytics, hyperspectral data, remote sensing, sensor networks
Christine Laney
Principal Research Scientist
National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON)
UWG Term 2020-2025
Specialty: ecoinformatics, LTER, ecological forecasting
Ayia F Lindquist
Outreach and Engagement Coordinator
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
UWG Term: 2024-2026
Specialty: data equity, CARE, community engagement, climate change outreach
Sparkle Malone
Yale School of the Environment
Yale University
UWG Term 2019-2024
Specialty: disturbance ecology, biogeochemical cycles, resilience and resistance to change
Paul Montesano
Research Scientist
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
UWG Term: 2022-2024
Specialty: remote sensing data integration, uncertainty quantification, and boreal forest structure research
Stefano Potter
Research Associate
Woodwell Climate Research Center
UWG Term: 2024-2026
Specialty: wildfire, boreal and arctic systems, remote sensing
Ying Sun
Soil & Crop Sciences
Cornell University
UWG Term 2020-2025
Specialty: agroecosystems, canopy to global scale modeling
Jody Vogeler (Chair-Elect)
Natural Resources Ecology Laboratory
Colorado State University
UWG Term 2021-2026
Specialty: forest disturbance dynamics, wildlife habitat ecology, assessing resistance and resilience within varous ecosystems, and integrating remote sensing datasets with field surveys
Jon Wang
School of Biological Sciences
University of Utah
UWG Term 2023-2025
Specialty: vulnerability to and recovery from natural and anthropogenic disturbance, carbon stocks and fluxes, phenology, urban heat island
Daryl Yang
Distinguished Staff Fellow
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
UWG Term: 2024-2026
Specialty: spectral imaging, drone data and applications, boreal and arctic systems, plant ecology, remote sensing, ecosystem modeling





User Working Group Ex Officio Members

Frank Lindsay
Data Systems Engineer
ESDIS Project
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Sara Lubkin
Science Data Operations Manager
ESDIS Project
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Drew Kittel
Science Operations Manager
ESDIS Project
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Ryan P. Pavlick
Program Manager
Terrestrial Ecology Program
NASA Headquarters
Alexey Shiklomanov
ESDS Program Scientist
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Jennifer Wei
ESDS Program Scientist
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Yaxing Wei (Vice Chair)
ORNL DAAC Lead Scientist
Environmental Sciences Division
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Bruce E. Wilson
ORNL DAAC Manager
Environmental Sciences Division
Oak Ridge National Laboratory

User Working Group Associates

Chris Lindsley
ORNL DAAC Systems Architect
Computational Sciences & Engineering Division
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Michele Thornton
ORNL DAAC Airborne Data Lead
Environmental Sciences Division
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Debjani Singh
ORNL DAAC Ingest Lead
Environmental Sciences Division
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Tammy Walker
ORNL DAAC Deputy Manager
Environmental Sciences Division
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Daine Wright
ORNL DAAC Systems Engineer
Environmental Sciences Division
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
 

Partners

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The ORNL DAAC regularly partners with other EOSDIS data centers and the following organizations towards shared goals.

ICSU WDS

The International Council for Science World Data System (ICSU WDS) promotes stewardship and access to data and data services across a range of science disciplines.

ABoVE Working Groups

The Artic Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE) Working Groups define standards of data management, services, models, variables, and products for ABoVE. ORNL DAAC staff participate in the Core Variables & Standards and the Geospatial Products & Standards groups.

ESDSWG

The Earth Science Data System Working Groups (ESDSWG) is a NASA organization that focuses on the exploration and development of recommendations derived from pertinent community insights of NASA's heterogeneous and distributed Earth science data systems.

ESIP

The Federation of Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP) is a networked community that brings together science, data, and information technology practitioners.

USGS CSAS

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) Core Science Systems (CSS) delivers natural science information to the United States in support of smart decisionmaking.

CCSI Data Centers

The ORNL DAAC is a member of the ORNL Climate Change Science Institute (CCSI) and often contributes to its other data centers.

ARM

The Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Archive (ARM) provides observations to improve the understanding of clouds and aerosols.

NGEE Arctic Logo

NGEE Arctic

The Next-Generation Ecosystem Experiments (NGEE Arctic) improve climate model predictions through advanced understanding of coupled processes in Arctic terrestrial ecosystems.

SPRUCE Logo

SPRUCE

The Spruce and Peatland Responses Under Climatic and Environmental Change (SPRUCE) experiment assesses the response of northern peatland ecosystems to increases in temperature and exposures to elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations.

Preprint Datasets

Preprint Datasets

Preprint Datasets

A preprint dataset is one which is made available prior to the completion of the ORNL DAAC's quality assurance and documentation work. This is most often done to support the peer review process for journal articles involving the data. As with a journal preprint, a preprint dataset includes the materials as received from the data provider, is subject to revision, and should be used as one would a journal preprint. Preprint datasets at the ORNL DAAC are not visible in NASA's Earthdata Search, and the ORNL DAAC attempts to prevent them from showing up in Internet search tools. Any differences in the finalized data relative to the data from the preprint version will be described in the finalized dataset documentation.