The Earth below : Purchasing Science Data and the Role of Public-Private Partnerships

The science data purchase program, also known as the science data buy (SDB) has been a success in supplying commerical remote sensoring data that serves NASA science requirements, but plans for it's continuation are uncertain. Although NASA has said that it will purchase science data when it is cost-effective to do so, trather than build new satellites, there is little guidance on determaining cost-effectiveness. This study was organized to examine the public-private partnerships in remote sensoring, metrics for evaluating such partnerships, the types of partnerships that might be most appropriate for NASA's earth science enterprise and options for the future of NASA's SDB. The authors believe that the "data clearinghouse" is likely to be the most appropriate partnership model for acquireing, maintaning and distributing data. The study cautions that NASA needs to understand and choose what kind of buyer of private remote sensoring data it wants to be beofre it develops specific cost-effectiveness metrics, and that it should clearly articulate the role of the SDB with respect to an overall strategy for eart science research.