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Paper: From ISO to Gaia: a 20-years Journey through Data Archives Management
Volume: 521, Astronomical Data Analysis Software and Systems XXVI
Page: 3
Authors: Arviset, C.; Baines, D.; Barbarisi, I.; Besse, S.; de Marchi, G.; Martinez, B.; Masson, A.; Mer'in, B.; Salgado, J.
Abstract: In the mid-90s, ESA decided to change its data management strategy and started to build at ESAC (European Space Astronomy Centre) data archives for its space science missions, initially for its Infrared Space Observatory and then expanding through other astronomy missions and, later on, to planetary and solar heliophysics missions. The ESAC Science Data Centre now hosts more than 15 science archives, with various others in preparation.
Technology has evolved a lot through this period, from simple web pages towards rich thin layer web applications, inter-operable and VO built-in archives. Maintaining old legacy archives while building new and state of the art ones (eg Gaia), managing people and preserving expertise over many years, offering innovative multi mission services and tools to enable new science (ESASky) have been some of the many challenges that had to be dealt with.
Future prospects ahead of us also look exciting with the advent of the "Archives 2.0" concept, where scientists will be able to work "within" the archive itself, bringing their own software to the data, sharing their data, code and results with others.
Data Archives have been and continue to be in constant transformation and they are now evolving towards open and collaborative science exploitation platforms.
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