The Science Data Management (SDM) Team’s mission is to optimize and share USGS data management practices and workflows. This helps to make our science data fully described, preserved, and publicly accessible. SDM’s suite of tools helps to achieve this mission and support scientists' open science endeavors.

ScienceBase

• ScienceBase is a trusted digital repository where USGS researchers can make their data available to all by increasing equitable access to published research.
• Controlled access to workspaces in ScienceBase fosters collaboration beyond USGS. Cross-organizational teams can work on projects in a secure environment until they are ready to publish their work.
• ScienceBase can secure sensitive data (e.g., threatened and endangered species location data). Project teams can maintain these sensitive data but fully release summary data.

Metadata Editors

• The Metadata Wizard and mdToolkit allow researchers to describe their data. This documentation helps users understand, reproduce, and reuse the data.
• These two metadata editors are available for public use.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI) Tool

• The DOI Tool provides persistent identifiers (e.g., DOIs) for data. DOIs make it possible for the public to reliably access data. Researchers add DOIs to their metadata records and cite the DOIs from publications.
• DOIs support providing credit for data creation and management. DOIs allow us to link data products with the people who contributed to their production. This credit helps to support equity in the data production.

USGS Science Data Catalog (SDC)

• The SDC aggregates metadata records across the USGS to support the discovery of our data. The SDC sends metadata records to Data.gov to further increase their discoverability.