Data Management System
The USGS Global Change Research Program operates an online
archive site to permit widespread distribution of the research results of
the program. The address is geochange.er.usgs.gov.
The structure of GCH data sets is illustrated below. Within data sets, files are organized into three groups: contents
information, core components, and derived components.
- Contents Information
- These files indicate the general character of the data set and are
intended to help potential users decide whether to obtain the full data
set or not. The information is provided in ASCII files and consists of a
description in Directory Interchange Format (DIF) and an annotated list of
files.
- Core Components
- Files in two categories, raw data files, which contain the
fundamental observations and portable program source code that is essential for using
the raw data, and meta data files, which contain information
essential for understanding the observations but not necessary for using them.
- Derived Components
- These files describe details or provide capabilities that are not needed
to access or interpret the fundamental data. They may be useful to some
researchers.
GCH data sets are intended to be usable on MS-DOS, Macintosh, and UNIX
computer systems; consequently contents information and core
components must be portable to those platforms. Derived
components may require specific hardware or software.
Related Information
U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey
