Investigating Different Data-Traceability Approaches to Prevent Data Swamps [Perspectives]

Science users typically obtain data from authoritative or trusted sources referred to as repositories. An authoritative source is defined as an entity that is approved by a legal entity to develop or manage data for a specific purpose [4], [5]. Different government agencies generating Earth observation (EO) data are one example. An authoritative source can also be an actively managed repository of valid or trusted data that is recognized by a community and supports data governance and stewardship practices. One can also have secondary sources that serve as trusted sources and provide trusted data [6]. A trusted source can be a service provider or an organization that publishes data obtained from a number of authoritative sources. These publications are often compilations and subsets of the data from more than one authoritative source. They are “trusted” because there is an “official process and/or agreement” for compiling the data from authoritative sources, data are actively managed, and the limitations, currency, and attributes are known and documented. NASA mirroring Sentinel-1 data from the European Space Agency is one such example of a trusted source.