Information for Proposers

The archiving process in the PDS works like this:

  1. Agreement with the PDS about what to archive, how, and when.
  2. Creation of archive products and data volumes
  3. Submission of data and peer review
  4. Public availability of the data

More information about each of these steps is given below. For complete details, see the Mission Proposer's Archiving Guide (MPAG) (PDF) and the Information for Proposers Presentation (PDF).

Proposing to Archive

Your mission or data analysis proposal must contain information about how you plan to archive your results into the PDS. Typical AO's require that proposals include a discussion of products to be delivered to PDS and that budgets include appropriate funding for this activity. PDS personnel are also available to answer archive design questions from proposal teams on a confidential basis.

To complete your proposal, you may need to use the archiving Cost Analysis Tool and Model.

Other Helpful Information

Archiving Agreements

Prior to submitting data to the PDS, an instrument or analysis team must obtain an agreement with the PDS about what data will be archived, the exact data format that will be used, the timing of deliveries, and the process of data reviews. These agreements are detailed in these documents:

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
Created first, to briefly outline the scope of data to be archived.

Data Management Plan (DMP)
Details of the process for managing and processing the data prior to submission to the PDS.

Archiving Plan (AP)
Details of the archive creation, submission, and review processes.

Often, the DMP and AP are combined into one Data Management and Archiving Plan (DMAP).

Examples

MOU from Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
DMAP from Mercury MESSENGER

Creating Archival Data

There are various tools available to help with the archiving process.