[ASA] gSTAR Data Management and Collaboration Platform (gDMCP)

[Amr Hassan]

Dear ASA Members,
The gSTAR Data Management and Collaboration Platform (gDMCP - https://data-portal.hpc.swin.edu.au) is a collaboration between Astronomy Australia Limited (AAL) and Swinburne University of Technology. It aims to provide Australian-based astronomers with a mechanism through which they can easily collaborate and share data while protecting their data access rights. It facilitates the process of data publishing and indeed encourages it.
The platform provides three modes of data publishing.

·         The first mode is managed data publishing. This mode aims mainly to help in publishing datasets associated with a publication. In this mode, the gSTAR data management team will assist the dataset owner to prepare and publish their dataset.

·         The second mode is limited data publishing within a science team. In this mode, the system provides small- to moderate-size teams with a private data sharing platform, with the datasets only accessible to team members.

·         The third mode is public data publishing, where the data is accessible to the wider astronomy community. The data products in this mode will be managed by the researcher.


The platform offers features such as Google-style multi-criteria search, easy to use programmatical access to the data repository via RESTful APIs, and fast access from gSTAR as the preferred processing platform. To ensure the data quality in preparation for a public data release, the system enforces a standard metadata model on the added data products based on the standard TAPObs metadata model. The system also supports using digital object identifiers (DOIs) as a reference for the published data products.
Astronomers from all Australian research institutions are eligible to apply for a storage allocation on gDMCP.
Science teams can request an allocation of up to 50 GB in the limited data publishing mode at any time. Storage allocations for public datasets managed through the managed data publishing mode are partitioned into two tiers based on the size of the storage requested:

·         Datasets up to 50 GB:

Allocations up to 50 GB can be approved directly by the gDMCP admin team. The team will aim to process the allocation request within 1-3 business days.

·         Datasets in excess of 50 GB:

Allocations exceeding 50 GB will require the approval of the Swinburne Supercomputing Manager, potentially in consultation with the appropriate AAL advisory committee.  The dataset owner in this case should provide additional information about the value of the dataset and work with the gDMCP admin team to ensure the data reusability and that an adequate level of metadata is available. Datasets in this category must be associated with a publication (paper or report).
Datasets in the managed data publishing mode are eligible for digital object identifiers. To access this data publishing service, the dataset owner should send an email to: data-portal at astro.swin.edu.au<mailto:data-portal at astro.swin.edu.au> which includes the required storage allocation, the name of the dataset, a paragraph or two to describe the purpose of publishing this dataset, paper title, and the journal where the paper has been accepted. The gSTAR data management team will work with the owner to prepare and publish his/her dataset. We note that the data publishing service is already available directly for PASA articles, through a current arrangement between gSTAR and PASA.
Please let us know if you have any questions/comments.

Best Regards,
Dr. Amr H. Hassan
gSTAR Projects and Engagement Support Leader
Centre for Astrophysics & Supercomputing
Swinburne University of Technology
H29, PO Box 218, Hawthorn, VIC 3122, Australia
Phone: +61-3-9214-8546
Fax: +61-3-9214-8797


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