NOAA Data Management Committee

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Background

The NOAA Data Management Committee (DMC), first called the NOAA Data Stewardship Committee, was originally established as the NOAA Environmental Satellite Data and Information Service (NESDIS) Data Archive Board to coordinate the development and implementation of data archiving policy within NESDIS. Data Management is a comprehensive end-to-end process including the acquisition, quality control, validation, reprocessing, storage, retrieval, dissemination, and archival of data. In February 2004, the NESDIS Executive Board (NEB) recognized the necessity to expand participation in data management issues across NOAA. As a result, the NEB directed the Data Archive Board’s activities be incorporated into the NOAA Observing Systems Council (NOSC). Subsequently, the proposal to develop a Data Management Committee representing all of NOAA was approved by the NOAA Observing System Council.

Purpose

The DMC will be the NOSC agent for coordinating the development and implementation of data management policy across NOAA. The DMC will have broad latitude and authority for data management decisions for NOAA. It will address issues and opportunities that require coordination among the Goal Teams, Line Offices, and Data Centers to implement data management responsibilities. The Committee’s objective is to provide clear guidance for NOAA data management and to provide the NOSC the information it needs to integrate data management with the NOAA Observing Systems Architecture and into the NOAA data management enterprise.

Membership

Chair: The Director of the National Climatic Data Center and the Chief Information Officer of the National Marine Fisheries Service will serve as Co-Chairs.

Executive Secretariat and Contact Person: Appointed by the Co-Chairs of the DMC .

Principals

Director, National Climatic Data Center; Director, National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC); Director, National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC); Director, NESDIS Office of Satellite Data Processing and Distribution (NESDIS/OSDPD); NOAA Goal Team Representatives, NOAA Line Office Representatives.

Working Groups

The Committee may form Working Groups to achieve specific tasks. Such Working Groups may include persons who are not Members of the Committee, but the Committee may choose to include a Committee Member on Working Groups. The Working Groups will use the same decision making process followed by the Committee. The Committee may terminate Working Groups at will.

• Data Management Integration Team (DMIT)

Roles and Responsibilities

Committee

• Establish data management and distribution policy
• Address legal requirements and best practices
• Set data management priorities
• Review science and application related requirements
• Coordinate implementation of data management activities
• Report quarterly to the NOSC and provide recommendations as appropriate

Members

• Attend Committee meetings. Members may designate an alternate to act on their behalf when necessary, and they will have full rights of representation of each of the principals when attending a meeting.

Scope of Interest

• The committee will focus on data management activities related to archiving and accessing observed data and information, metadata, data and information related to official predictions, and model output data within NOAA’s observations data model collected from all domains (e.g., space, atmosphere, oceans, land and undersea) and goal areas (ecosystems, climate, weather and water, and commerce and transportation).

Meeting Frequency. Hold meetings at least quarterly and as necessary to prepare and present recommendations to the NOSC. Special meetings may be called at any time.

Decision Making Process

Decisions will normally be reached by consensus. The Co-Chairs will strive for consensus on every issue, but maintains 51% of the vote. Therefore, the Co-Chairs make the final decision when consensus is not achieved.