Data Management Plans

The following sections might be useful for further defining your science center's data management strategy.

Approved Data Package Content

Discretion of data to be included in a data package is given to authors and center directors.   Customize the following tables to define what types of data to include or not include in a data package intended for public release.  For more information, see http://internal.usgs.gov/fsp/faqs-basics.html.

Inclusion

Data that will be required to meet Fundamental Science Practice requirements and obtain approval for public release.  The following are considered required content. 

• Data represented in a publication as the final analysis.
• Model, software, code that is the subject of the publication or used to produce a final analysis.
• Data Series, basic data sets, databases, and multimedia or motion graphics. This series can be used for videos, computer programs, and collections of digital photographs.

List data to include in the table below.

Exclusion

Data that has security, privacy, confidentiality, and other legal constraints is never released to the public.  Exclusion of raw or minimally processed data that are the foundation for interpreted data products is an option left to the discretion of the Science Center. For more information, see

https://usgs.gov/products/data-and-tools/data-management/proprietary-and-sensitive-data.

Other excluded data include referenceable data, which should be identified in metadata and the references section of manuscripts:

• Published and Citable Datasets and Models, Software, and Code (Secondary data, data collected and previously published by another USGS or Non-USGS source and used (with permission) in a USGS information product.).
• Unpublished Personal Correspondence Contributions (Data collected by someone else, not publicly released by the data collector, and used (with permission) in a USGS information product.).
• Approved USGS Operational Database.

List any additional data to exclude in the table below.

Provisional Data Release

Provisional Data release is subject to Fundamental Science Practice requirements that can be found at http://internal.usgs.gov/preview/fsp/toolbox/provisional_data_information_release.html.

Data Management Plan Elements

Data Management Plans are interactive documents that have a life cycle of their own throughout a project.  What elements are required to be updated at each project stage?