Marine Geoscience Data System

U.S. Antarctic Program Data Coordination Center

How to Contribute Your Data

This process consists of two steps:

  1. Archive your data set in an appropriate repository.
  2. Register your data set in the Antarctic Master Directory (AMD).

Step #1: Archive your data set

Various U.S. national, international, and institutional repositories are available for data archival, depending on the discipline and data type. Contact us and we will work with you to determine the appropriate repository for your data sets.

Here are some example repositories.

 

Step #2: Register your data set

The step-by-step tutorial below will walk you through the process of creating a data description and submitting it to the AMD using their web-based tool DocBuilder. You do not have to submit the completed description until you are ready, and we are available to provide assistance during the process.  Data descriptions include the basic attributes (e.g. who, what, when, where, and why) that are considered necessary to help other determine if the data set is of interest for their research or education purposes.  The data descriptions are required to be in the Directory Interchange Format (DIF) and are cataloged at the AMD for others to search and discover.

Upon submitting your data description, you will receive an E-mail response, which includes a copy of the information you supplied. Several days later, your description will become available in the searchable Antarctic Master Directory (AMD) and you will receive a URL via E-mail to access the description, so you can include it in your final project report for NSF. Place the URL you receive in the Fastlane Final Report Section entitled: Internet Dissemination.

  1. When you are ready to register a new data set, please go to the AMD DocBuilder, the data entry tool for the Antarctic Master Directory (a portal of the NASA Global Change Master Directory).
  2. Fill out the DocBuilder form fields as follows:
    1. For "Document Type" select "DIF"
    2. For "Use a Template?" select "No Template", you will be able to save your own template for future data entry.
    3. For "Document Status" select the approriate option
    4. For "Document Identifier": If you are entering a data set description for the first time, create a short identifier. If you are updating an existing data entry, use the data set identifier you chose before. Remember this identifier if you would like to finish or update the documentation at a later time.
    5. Press the "Continue" button.
  3. The next page shows all of the DIF fields that may be populated. You can click on the Information icon for an explanation of each field. There are eight required fields that you must complete. These required fields appear next to the pink boxes Required Checkbox. The other fields are optional and may or may not be appropriate for your data set.
  4. Now you must enter a title for the data set you are describing:
    1. Click on "Entry Title" on the left side of the screen.
    2. Once the Entry Title has been entered, press "Continue."
    3. When each field is populated you will see that the box next to it has been checked Required Checked Checkbox.
  5. There is a text box below the required and optional fields. Changes to your document may be made directly in the text area. The tags correspond with the title of each field that has been populated. Click the "Save Edits in Text Box" button each time you make a change.
  6. Continue to populate at least the required metadata fields; Entry ID, Entry Title, Science Keywords, ISO Topic Category, Data Center, Summary, Metadata Name, and Metadata Version. Click on the Information icon for help with each field.
  7. All remaining fields are optional, but will help others to better understand your data. It is recommended that you complete a few or all of the optional steps. Please note that the latest version of the ISO Metadata Standard (ISO/TC 211) requires the population of the "Data Set Citation" field. Therefore, metadata authors are strongly encouraged to populate this field.
  8. Once the appropriate fields are filled out, please click on the "Submit to GCMD" button in the upper right-hand corner or choose "Submit Metadata" under the "Document" menu to send your data to the GCMD/AMD Science Coordinators for loading into the database. You will be contacted when your data set description has been loaded and may be viewed online. If you have several data sets to document, you may save the appropriate fields you have populated as a template for future documentation by going to the "File" menu and choosing "Save As Template."

If you would like assistance with building your data description, please contact Bob Arko at arko@ldeo.columbia.edu. If you have questions or need assistance regarding the Antarctic Master Directory, please contact Melanie Meaux, Ocean Sciences Coordinator, at mmeaux@gcmd.nasa.gov.

Thanks for your time and for your submission.