CIESIN Thematic Guides

Earth Observing System Data and Information System

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) will serve as the mechanism for worldwide access to all the data and products of the Earth Observing System (EOS) Program. NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) Reference Handbook provides an overview of EOSDIS, including the activities, components, and evolution of EOSDIS. EOSDIS will be comprised of eight Distributed Active Archive Centers (DAACs) with responsibilities for processing, archiving, and distributing EOS sensor and related data.

The Consortium for International Earth Science Information Network's (CIESIN) Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC) is a ninth component of EOSDIS. NASA funds CIESIN's SEDAC to serve as a link between the EOS Program and the socioeconomic and educational user communities. The SEDAC will support the satellite image data requirements of human dimensions research issues associated with global environmental change.

The EOS Reference Handbook also provides the data and information policy of EOSDIS, which will govern activities to acquire data, maximize data use for scientific purposes, and simplify data access and analysis.