Those not involved in the initial data collection and processing must be able to easily determine how data have been collected, calibrated, validated, and otherwise transformed. This may include the development of community-consensus algorithms and instructional efforts to ensure that potential users are aware of data availability. In some cases the responsibility for establishing and maintaining global change research data sets may be shared by agencies other than the originators of the data collection efforts. Plans must be developed as part of the overall project to ensure that the investment in data collection is enhanced and expanded by adequate long-term data management practices. Full and open sharing of the full suite of global data sets for all global change researchers is a fundamental objective.
Federal agencies have different data distribution practices affecting global change research data.
Data sets should be made available in a timely manner, but the definition of timeliness is left as a responsibility of the funding agencies involved. As data are made available, global change researchers should have full and open access to them without restrictions on research use. Global change researchers include those in academic, industry, government, and non-government sectors conducting both basic and applied research. The global change research data sets contain data of potential usefulness to a competitive U.S. economy for industrial applications and improved environmental management. As required by appropriate public law, global change research agencies will develop plans for commercial access to the global change data bases.