International Polar Year 2007-2008 Data Policy
Draft Version 1.2, 1 April 2008: Added reference to IPY 2007-2008 Scholarly
Publication Policy.
Version 1.1, 27 December 2007: links updated; figure revised to match the text
Version 1.0, 22 May 2006

Introduction
The International Polar Year (IPY) 2007-2008, an intense, interdisciplinary, andinternationally coordinated campaign of research and observations, will deepen
understanding of polar processes and their global linkages. IPY knowledge and theobservations upon which it is built must be effectively managed to ensure the greatest
benefit in the future. IPY-generated data should be carefully and thoughtfully collected,
used collaboratively, and adequately preserved. All IPY participants will respect andsafeguard local and traditional knowledge and all related tangible and intangible cultural
heritage of polar communities. IPY data will be multidisciplinary and disparate. This
policy aims to provide a framework for these data to be handled in a consistent manner,and to strike a balance between the rights of investigators, the rights of indigenous
peoples, and the need for widespread access through the free and unrestricted sharing andexchange of both data and metadata. The policy is compatible with the data principles ofthe sponsoring bodies, ICSU and WMO, and other relevant international agencies.
Since IPY 2007-2008 is a distributed programme, implemented through a number of selfmanaged IPY Projects, the principles enshrined in the Data Policy must be applied to datain each Project. In order to be considered as officially part of IPY, each Project must
follow the IPY 2007-2008 Data Policy, including submission of metadata and dataaccording to an agreed timetable, and must include an appropriately funded datamanagement plan. In a similar fashion, in order to take part in an IPY 2007-2008 Project,participants must agree to submit information and data from their component of theproject and comply with the IPY 2007-2008 Data Policy.
The IPY Data Policy and Management Subcommittee of the ICSU/WMO Joint
Committee for the IPY is responsible for this Data Policy. Questions about the policy andits implementation should be directed to the Subcommittee (see http://ipydis.org).

Objective
The purpose of the IPY data policy is to support the objectives of the IPY. TheFramework for the International Polar Year 2007-2008 produced by the ICSU IPY 20072008 Planning Group notes: “The overarching objective of IPY 2007-2008 datamanagement is to ensure the security, accessibility and free exchange of relevant data thatboth support current research and leave a lasting legacy.” (ICSU 2004a, p. 19). The IPY
Data Policy provides initial guidance for meeting this data management objective. The
Data Policy also supports the general objectives of IPY and explicitly provides a basis forthe following objectives from the Framework (p. 10).
International Polar Year 2007-2008 Data Policy (version 1.1)

Page 1 of 5••••IPY has an interdisciplinary emphasis, with active inclusion of the social sciences.
IPY will link researchers across different fields to address questions and issues lying
beyond the scope of individual disciplines.
IPY will strengthen international coordination of research and enhance international
collaboration and cooperation
IPY will leave a legacy of observing sites, facilities and networks, as well as
individual data and data systems to support ongoing polar research and monitoring.

Data Definition
IPY data are those data generated during the IPY timeframe (March 2007 - March 2009)by the specific projects endorsed by the ICSU/WMO Joint Committee as IPY projects.
This policy applies specifically to those data. It should be recognized, however, that IPY
researchers will use IPY-related data from outside sources, such as from existing
operational data streams and historical sources. Where appropriate, this data policy data
should apply to those IPY-related data as well.
A subset of data both generated and used by IPY need special policy and accessconsiderations, because they are legitimately restricted in some way. Access to these data
may be restricted because they are about human subjects, because there may be
intellectual property issues, or because there is a situation where release of the data may
cause harm to the public or environment (e.g., the location of nesting sites for an
endangered species).
Figure 1 conceptually illustrates these different classes of data and provides a reference forthe policy and subsequent data management strategy.

Figure 1. Graphical definition of “IPY data” (inner blue circle), “IPY-related data” (outer circle), and specialcases.

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Data Availability and Exchange
In accordance with• the Twelfth WMO Congress, Resolution 40 (Cg-XII, 1995)• the Thirteenth WMO Congress, Resolution 25 (Cg XIII, 1999)• the ICSU 1996 General Assembly Resolution• the ICSU Assessment on Scientific Data and Information (ICSU 2004b)• Article III-1c from the Antarctic Treaty• the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission Data Exchange Policy
and in order to maximize the benefit of data gathered under the auspices of the IPY, theIPY Joint Committee requires that IPY data, including operational data delivered in realtime, are made available fully, freely, openly, and on the shortest feasible timescale.
The only exceptions to this policy of full, free, and open access are:•••where human subjects are involved, confidentiality must be protected
where local and traditional knowledge is concerned, rights of the knowledge
holders shall not be compromised
where data release may cause harm, specific aspects of the data may need to bekept protected (for example, locations of nests of endangered birds or locations ofsacred sites).

ICSU (2004b) defines “Full and open access” as equitable, non-discriminatory access toall data preferably free of cost, but some reasonable cost-recovery is acceptable. WMO
Resolution 40 uses the terms “Free and unrestricted” and defines them as nondiscriminatory and without charge. “Without charge”, in the context of this resolutionmeans at no more than the cost of reproduction and delivery without charge for the dataand products themselves.
Metadata are essential to the discovery, access, and effective use of data. All IPY data
must be accompanied by a full set of metadata that completely document and describe thedata. In accordance with the ISO standard Reference Model for an Open Archival
Information System (OAIS) (CCSDS 2002), complete metadata may be defined as all theinformation necessary for data to be independently understood by users and to ensure
proper stewardship of the data. Regardless of any data access restrictions or delays indelivery of the data itself, all IPY projects must promptly provide basic descriptive
metadata of collected data in an internationally recognized, standard format to an
appropriate catalog or registry.

Data Preservation
Recognizing that the true value of scientific data is often realized long after they havebeen collected, and to ensure the lasting legacy of IPY, it is essential to ensure long-termpreservation and sustained access to IPY data. All IPY data must be archived in theirsimplest, useful form and be accompanied by a complete metadata description. An IPY
Data and Information Service (IPYDIS—http://ipydis.org) should help projects identify
appropriate long-term archives and data centers, but it is the responsibility of individual
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IPY projects to make arrangements with long-term archives to ensure the preservation of
their data. It must be recognized that data preservation and access should not be
afterthoughts and need to be considered while data collection plans are developed.
The IPYDIS should work with the relevant operational centers, data centers, and otherorganizations to ensure the preservation of relevant IPY related data not explicitly
produced by IPY projects.

Data Acknowledgment
To recognize the valuable role of data providers (and scientists who collect or preparedata) and to facilitate repeatability of IPY experiments in keeping with the scientificmethod, users of IPY data must formally acknowledge data authors (contributors) andsources. Where possible, this acknowledgment should take the form of a formal citation,such as when citing a book or journal article. Journals should require the formal citationof data used in articles they publish. Where formal citation is not possible, such as withsome medical and social science data, ethical policies for data collection and data use areencouraged, building upon existing models such as Article 8(j) of the 1992 Convention
on Biological Diversity.

Publications
An important legacy of IPY will be the publications documenting the planning, results,and achievements of IPY. To help preserve and understand this legacy and to help meetthe education, outreach, and communication objectives of IPY, authors of publications
related to IPY are encouraged to submit bibliographic information to the IPY
Publications Database managed by the Arctic Institute of North America, the American
Geological Institute, and the Scott Polar Research Institute (http://www.nisc.com/ipy).
See the IPY 2007-2008 Scholarly Publication Policy for additional guidance on scholarly
publications(http://www.ipy.org/index.php?ipy/detail/ipy_scholarly_publications_policy/).

References
The Antarctic Treaty. 1959. Available at http://www.ats.aq/
CCSDS (Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems). 2002. Reference Model for
an Open Archival Information System (OAIS). CCDSD 650.0-B-1. Blue Book. Issue
1. Washington, DC: CCSDS Secretariat. [Equivalent to ISO 14721:2002]. Available
at http://public.ccsds.org/publications/archive/650x0b1.pdf
Convention on Biological Diversity. 1992. Article 8(j): Traditional Knowledge,Innovations and Practices. Available at http://www.biodiv.org/programmes/socioeco/traditional/default.asp Intergovernmental Oceanographic CommissionOceanographic Data Exchange Policy. 2003.Available at
http://www.iode.org/contents.php?id=200
ICSU (International Council for Science). 2004a. A Framework for the International
Polar Year 2007-2008 produced by the ICSU IPY 2007-2008 Planning Group.
Available at http://www.ipy.org
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ICSU (International Council for Science). 2004b. ICSU Report of the CSPR Assessment
Panel on Scientific Data and Information. Available at
http://www.icsu.org/1_icsuinscience/DATA_Paa_1.html
Resolution of the International Council of Science (ICSU) General Assembly (24-27September 1996). Available at http://globalchange.gov/policies/icsu-1996.html
World Meteorological Organization Congress, Resolution 40 (Cg-XII, 1995): WMO
Policy and Practice for the Exchange of Meteorological and Related Data andProducts Including
Guidelines on Relationships in Commercial Meteorological Activities Available at
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/im/wmocovr.htm
World Meteorological Organization Congress, Resolution 25 (Cg XIII, 1999). Exchangeof Hydrological Data and Products. Available at
http://www.wmo.ch/web/homs/documents/english/res25eng.html

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