502.8 - Fundamental Science Practices: Review, Approval, and Release of USGS Scientific Data
U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY DIRECTIVE
SURVEY MANUAL CHAPTER – PROGRAM SERIES
Issuance Number: SM 502.8
Subject: Fundamental Science Practices: Review, Approval, and Release of USGS Scientific Data
Issuance Date: June 1, 2026
Expiration Date: Retain until superseded or cancelled.
Responsible Office: Office of Science Quality and Integrity
Instruction: This Survey Manual (SM) chapter update supersedes SM 502.8, Fundamental Science Practices: Review and Approval of USGS Scientific Data for Release, dated January 13, 2017.
Approving Official: /s/ William Cunningham
Acting Director, Office of Science Quality and Integrity
1. Purpose and Scope.
A. This SM chapter provides requirements and procedures for review, approval, and release of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientific data (also referred to as “data”), such as textual and numeric information, instrument outputs, statistics, images (fixed or moving), diagrams, maps, and audio recordings, preliminary (also referred to as “provisional”) and dynamic data, processed or derived data, model inputs and final outputs, simulations, observations of natural phenomena at explicit times and locations, and data stored on any type of media released as information products or through approved online databases or Web services. These data include but are not limited to, USGS data used to reach scholarly conclusions in USGS-authored information products (for example, publications); data that are made available in USGS datasets, databases, and Web services; data from other sources that are subsequently made part of a USGS dataset, database, or Web services. This SM chapter does not address review, approval, and release of code documentation for USGS scientific software as these requirements are described in SM 502.11.
B. Fundamental Science Practices (FSP) requirements detailed in this policy apply to all USGS employees, political appointees, volunteers, including emeriti, as well as contractors, cooperators, partners, and other external parties who assist with USGS scientific data management activities. Scientific integrity requirements ensure the free flow of scientific information as detailed in 305 DM 3. Failing to comply with FSP can constitute a loss of USGS and Department scientific integrity.
2. Background. USGS scientific data are Federal records, and as such, are the property of the Federal Government. Federal law requires agencies to provide free public access to data collected or created by the Federal Government, except where access must be restricted because of security, privacy, confidentiality, or other constraints; and to collect or create data in a way that supports downstream processing and dissemination activities. This includes using machine-readable or open formats, data standards, and metadata standards for all data released to the public. The February 22, 2013, Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) memorandum, “Increasing Access to the Results of Federally Funded Scientific Research,” required free public access to federally funded scientific data associated with scholarly publications. On August 25, 2022, OSTP updated the February 22, 2013, memorandum broadening the requirement to include public access to all other Federal data with or without an associated scholarly publication. Congress passed the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018, which includes earlier executive orders and memoranda such as the May 9, 2013, Office of Management and Budget (OMB) “Open Data Policy—Managing Information as an Asset” memorandum. The 2023 USGS Public Access Plan supports these OSTP, Congressional, and OMB requirements.
3. References.
A. Coordinating Geographic Data Acquisition and Access: The National Spatial Data Infrastructure (Executive Orders 12906, April 13, 1994 and 13286, March 5, 2003)
B. Ensuring Free, Immediate, and Equitable Access to Federally Funded Research (Office of Science Technology and Policy (OSTP) memorandum, August 25, 2022)
C. Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018 (Public Law 115–435, January 14, 2019)
D. Geospatial Data Act of 2018 (43 U.S. Code Chapter 46 – Geospatial Data, October 5, 2018)
E. Increasing Access to the Results of Federally Funded Scientific Research (Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) memorandum, February 22, 2013)
F. Open Data Policy—Managing Information as an Asset (Office of Management and Budget (OMB) memorandum, May 9, 2013)
G. Phase 2 Implementation of the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018: Open Government Data Access and Management Guidance (Office of Management and Budget (OMB) memorandum, January 15, 2025)
H. Restoring Gold Standard Science (Executive Order 14303, May 23, 2025)
I. SM Part 502 - USGS Fundamental Science Practices and Related Policies
J. SM Part 1100 - USGS Publishing Policies
K. SM 205.18, Authority to Approve Information Products
L. SM 431.1, Records Management Roles and Responsibilities
M. SM 500.25, Scientific Integrity
N. SM 601.1, USGS Web Standards
O. USGS Records Disposition Schedules
R. USGS Science Data Lifecycle Model
4. Definitions. The following definitions pertain to USGS scientific data:
A. Scientific Data. Facts collected through observation, experimentation, or analysis, represented as text, numbers, or multimedia, of relevance and sufficient quality to support, validate, and reproduce scientific research and findings. Data can be quantitative (numerical) or qualitative (descriptive) and are often organized in a systematic way to facilitate analysis and interpretation. USGS data are considered noninterpretive.
B. Approved Scientific Data. Data that have met USGS requirements as described in this SM chapter and are authorized for release by a designated approving official.
C. Dataset. A structured collection of data.
D. Database. Datasets and other items stored together to serve one or more purposes or applications, often including data query or search and retrieval capabilities managed through a database management system. Databases are considered noninterpretive.
E. Data Release. A USGS product type for publishing approved scientific data.
F. Preliminary (also referred to as Provisional) Scientific Data. Those data that are subject to revision but are released prior to Bureau review and approval to meet an immediate need (refer to SM 502.5). Data made publicly available during an emergency event or situation are also considered preliminary.
G. Dynamic Scientific Data. Information that is continually or continuously collected, processed, quality-controlled, made available in real-time or near-real-time, and considered released once publicly posted.
H. Web Services. A service that provides remote access to data using standard data access protocols, available over the web. Web services may include application programming interfaces (APIs), which are sets of routines, protocols, and tools for building software applications. Web services are considered noninterpretive.
5. Policy.
A. The USGS must provide timely and free public access to our scientific data, except where access must be restricted because of security, privacy, confidentiality, or other constraints. Scientific data approved for release must comply with the appropriate USGS FSP requirements including those described in this chapter. USGS scientific data are approved for release by the Science Center (or equivalent) Director who may delegate their approval authority to a designee (SM 205.18). Refer to Distinctions Between New Research or Interpretive Information Products and Previously Published or Noninterpretive Information Products for additional guidance.
B. The USGS must review, approve, and release scientific data and supporting metadata, collected or created by or on behalf of the USGS. Review and approval are components of a rigorous documented process to assure that data are of sufficient quality to support, validate, and reproduce scientific research and findings. Refer to the USGS data review checklist and metadata review checklist for additional guidance on conducting the data and metadata reviews.
(1) USGS scientific data used to support scholarly conclusions must be released prior to, or concurrent with a scholarly publication using these data, and the data release or other published data information product must be cited in the publication.
(2) Scientific data not associated with a scholarly publication must also be released in a timely manner, as documented in the data management plan (refer to SM 502.6 and the USGS Public Access Plan).
(3) Review and approval of scientific data as data release products must be documented in the internal USGS Information Product Data System (IPDS).
(4) For data release products, it may be appropriate for the same person to conduct both the data and the metadata reviews. To review data and metadata, the reviewer must be able to determine the accuracy and completeness of the particular (meta)data being reviewed. Reviewers must have the appropriate subject matter expertise and should not have participated in generating the data.
(5) The methods used to create scientific data may be derived based on an interpretive process, in which case the methods and interpretations must be described fully in a peer-reviewed information product. Although data are not interpretive, if data are derived based on an interpretive process, the interpretations must be described in a peer-reviewed information product and that product must be referenced in the metadata associated with the data (Refer to SM 502.4). The data review must include a check of the original published methods to ensure the methodology used to produce the data has not changed, which would result in the need for an updated methods publication.
(6) If a data release is revised or new data are added, these data must be reviewed and approved. Refer to Guidance on Documenting Revisions to USGS Scientific Digital Data Releases.
C. Requirements for proprietary data used by the USGS, or data received from other sources described in SM 502.5, must be followed. USGS data are not considered proprietary. Requirements for use of Tribal data are described in SM 500.6.
D. The USGS may release preliminary scientific data, subject to revision (refer to SM 502.5). Preliminary scientific data must subsequently be reviewed, approved, and released as described herein.
E. Scientific data approved for release must comply with the metadata requirements as described in SM 502.7, and the metadata must be deposited in and shared through the USGS Science Data Catalog (SDC).
F. Approved scientific data, provisional data, databases, and web services must be accompanied by the appropriate disclaimer statement. Where applicable, other disclaimer statements such as those regarding non-endorsement of commercial products or use of copyrighted material should be included. Disclaimer statements for approved and provisional data are available on the FSP Procedures and Guidelines web page.
G. Approved scientific data must be assigned a persistent identifier, specifically a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) for scientific data. A DOI for publicly released scientific data must be included in the metadata (refer to SM 502.7). DOIs are obtained from the USGS Asset Identifier Service. Data released in a non-USGS repository may be assigned a DOI from that repository; however, if the external repository does not assign a DOI to the data release, a DOI must be assigned from the USGS Asset Identifier Service. Additional information about DOIs for data is available from the USGS Data Management website.
H. USGS scientific data and metadata approved for release are managed through USGS-Acceptable Digital Repositories or approved databases (refer to section 6.J) that can ensure their long-term preservation, discoverability, accessibility, and usability. USGS authors must consider use of a USGS-owned acceptable repository for release of data before other alternatives. Approved non-USGS acceptable repositories may be used to release USGS data; however, in accordance with Records Management requirements, the authoritative copy of those data must also be hosted internally on USGS infrastructure. The selected acceptable repository must also be documented in the Data Management Plan, and justification for use of an external repository is required in the IPDS. The author or data manager must ensure metadata accompanying data submitted to a non-USGS acceptable repository are submitted to the SDC (refer to SM 502.7).
I. All scientific data generated under cooperative or other collaborative agreements must be reviewed and must include complete metadata (refer to SM 502.7). Regardless of funding source, responsibility for release of scientific data is dependent on USGS participation in the collection, processing, compilation, or analysis of the data (refer to Guide to Data Release with or without a Companion Publication). For circumstances in which USGS has responsibility for data release, refer to Section 6.H. A copy of the data may also be released by the cooperator, collaborator, or vendor.
J. Approved, USGS-owned, online databases are an acceptable mechanism for release of scientific data in lieu of a separate data release in an Acceptable Digital Repository. Review and approval of a new database must be tracked in the IPDS before it is made publicly accessible for scientific data to be added, updated, reviewed, and delivered, according to a documented, repeatable process. Any added data must adhere to the previously approved documented process for managing the data. A publicly accessible, machine-readable data dictionary that documents the data contained within the database is required (refer to SM 502.7). A new online database must include a mechanism that allows the public to identify and extract, in a machine-readable format, exactly the version and subset of the data collection that is used in a given interpretive information product. A citation for the database must be visible on the landing page. Databases are maintained to ensure proper preservation and quality of data. Metadata and related documentation describing a USGS-owned database are required. A USGS Digital Object Identifier (DOI) is also required for the online database and must be present in the metadata. The metadata for USGS-owned databases that compile data from non-USGS sources should be linked from the landing page and include documentation about the veracity of those data (refer to SM 502.2). The metadata describing the online database must be submitted to the USGS Science Data Catalog.
(1) Metadata describing the USGS-owned online database must provide specific details regarding data type and format; access and use constraints; processes and controls for accuracy, consistency, and completeness; processes for quality review and quality control of the data; values, definitions, and domains of database fields; provenance of source data; process steps and methods used to structure and assemble the data; and contact information for responsible parties.
(2) Documentation describing the technical and administrative details of the USGS-owned online database is also required. The documentation must include non-interpretive information such as methods used to ingest, process, and format the data, structure and use of Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), database back-up procedures, instructions for querying and extracting data, and a technical point of contact. Database documentation is made available through a publicly accessible link from the database.
K. Web services are an acceptable mechanism to make previously approved or preliminary data available from USGS acceptable repositories or approved databases.
L. Dynamic data can be released using an approved, documented, and repeatable quality control process in which scientific data are continually reviewed as they are collected. The dynamic data release process must be reviewed and approved in the IPDS. Any added data must also adhere to the previously approved documented process. Dynamic data must comply with all requirements outlined under SM 502.7.
6. Responsibilities.
A. Associate Directors and Regional Directors. Associate Directors (ADs) and Regional Directors (RDs) coordinate with Science Center Directors (SCDs) to ensure appropriate stewardship of the data produced in their respective mission areas and regions. RDs collaborate with Science Center Directors to address emergency events or situations, determine which Centers should respond, and coordinate with ADs and other Bureau managers and offices as needed regarding what scientific data and information are released. The decision to restrict access and safeguard any USGS scientific information will be made by the appropriate AD or RD in consultation with other members of the USGS Executive Leadership Team (ELT) as needed (refer to SM 502.4).
B. Office of Science Quality and Integrity, Core Science Systems, FSP Advisory Council, Chief Data Officer, and Office of the Associate Chief Information Officer. The Office of Science Quality and Integrity (OSQI), Core Science Systems (CSS), and FSP Advisory Council (FSPAC) are responsible for jointly developing USGS data management policy and collaborating on the development of related guidance and procedures. OSQI coordinates and communicates with the ADs, RDs, and the entire ELT as needed to address and resolve issues regarding the execution of this policy. OSQI also maintains this chapter (SM 502.8) and other FSP-related policy documents. CSS develops and maintains comprehensive guidance and procedures on the USGS Data Management website. FSPAC develops and maintains comprehensive guidance and procedures on the FSP website. The Chief Data Officer communicates and supports the development, implementation, and maintenance of USGS Bureau-wide data management strategies, best practices, and tools to meet federal and DOI requirements. The Office of the Associate Chief Information Officer (ACIO) oversees the records management program that informs data records management requirements.
C. Science Center and Division Directors. Science Center (or equivalent) Directors (SCDs) designate data managers to steward the scientific data produced in their offices and centers. SCDs (or their equivalent) are the approving officials of data for release, including preliminary data, and for approving databases and dynamic data (refer to SM 205.18). SCDs (or their equivalent) may redesignate their approval authority to a designee.
D. Supervisors. Supervisors have primary responsibility to ensure a data review, a metadata review, and approval occurs for data released by those they supervise.
E. USGS Scientists and Authors. USGS Scientists and Authors collaborate with the data manager to initiate the process of data release, including soliciting the appropriate reviews, reconciling metadata and data review comments, and ensure the IPDS records are disseminated. They also ensure data are managed in accordance with collaborative agreements and the data management plan.
F. Data Managers. Data Managers are the designated individuals or teams responsible for stewarding scientific data through the release process and, in collaboration with repository staff, for long-term maintenance of those data. They collaborate with their SCDs, program and project managers, supervisors, Center records liaison and authors to conduct data stewardship activities and communicate USGS data management best practices.
G. (Meta)Data Reviewers. Reviewers determine the accuracy and completeness of the scientific data being reviewed.
H. Records Management Officer. The USGS Records Management Officer, in collaboration with repository staff and Data Managers, ensures that Bureau-wide policies, standards, and procedures are in place to provide guidance on creating accurate and complete records and maintaining them throughout the science data lifecycle.