NASA promotes the full and open sharing of all data with the research and applications communities, private industry, academia, and the general public. Read the EOSDIS Data Use Policy and Open Data and the Importance of Data Citations: The EOSDIS Perspective.
Datasets and related data products and services are provided by NASA's Distributed Active Archive Centers (DAACs), which are parts of NASA's Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) managed by NASA's Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS) Project. NASA data are freely accessible; however, when you publish these data or works based on the data, we request that you cite the datasets within the text of the publication and include a reference to them in your reference list. References to datasets should have enough detail to provide readers of your publication with the ability to obtain the datasets and conduct their own studies based on your work. (For complete provenance and understanding of specifically which parts of data were used and how, it also may be necessary to describe in detail, within the body of the publication, exactly how the data were used.)
Because each discipline within Earth science has its own unique approach to data, each of the DAACs provides details with examples on how to cite and reference its discipline-specific data and services. The links to this information are given below:
- ASDC
- ASF DAAC
- CDDIS
- GES DAAC
- GHRC DAAC
- LAADS DAAC
- LP DAAC
- NSIDC DAAC
- OB.DAAC
- ORNL DAAC
- PO.DAAC
- SEDAC
In addition, the following cross-DAAC services provided by NASA's Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS) Project may be cited as shown below:
International Directory Network (IDN)
Please refer to How to cite the International Directory Network for more information.
Land, Atmosphere Near real-time Capability for EOS (LANCE)
Please refer to LANCE Citation, Acknowledgements and Disclaimer for more information.
Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS)
Please refer to the GIBS Data Use Policy and Acknowledgements for more information.
ESIP Guidelines for Referencing Data
The Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP) provides a clear, concise guidelines document that may also help you in determining the format of the data set reference.