| About PDS |
 |
|
|
|
|
| Frequently Asked Questions |
 |
The following is a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about the
PDS Distribution System:
- What is the PDS?
- What is PDS-D?
- Do I need to be a scientist to use the system?
- Do I need any special software?
- What data are available?
- How do I find the data?
- How do I get the data?
- How much data can I download?
Questions and Answers:
- What is the PDS?
PDS stands for the Planetary Data System. The
PDS is a NASA-sponsored
organization that archives and distributes high-qality planetary
data to the science community.
Back to List
- What is PDS-D?
PDS-D stands for the PDS Distribution System. It is a web-based
system that enables science users to find and retrieve PDS data.
PDS-D is a new system, which has only been online since October 1,
2002. It is currently under active development.
Back to List
- Do I need to be a scientist to use the system?
No, but it helps. :) The system was designed for the science user,
and much of the data are "low level", and require quite
a bit of background knowledge to understand. If you are mainly
interested in the pictures taken by various NASA missions, you are
encouraged to visit the
Planetary Photo Journal.
Back to List
- Do I need any special software?
Finding and downloading data through PDS-D requires only a recent
version of a web browser, such as Internet Explorer or Netscape. If
you plan to use the map interface to select data from the Planetary
Atlas (a component of the system), you will need to install a Java 2
plug-in. For further information, see the Planetary Atlas
requirements
page.
Once the data are obtained, a variety of tools may be used for
viewing and analysis. Almost all PDS data are viewable with NASAView,
a free program that can be
downloaded from this site.
Back to List
- What data are available?
The initial version of PDS-D is focused on Mars data, and Odyssey in
particular. As the system matures, it will provide access to data from
other new missions and from the entire PDS archive.
Back to List
- How do I find the data?
The most common strategy is to perform a two-step search. In the
first step, you narrow the search to one or more data sets of
interest. In the second step, you search for products in those
data sets. The place to start is the
data set search
page.
Back to List
- How do I get the data?
When your search returns a list of products, you can select the ones
you wish to download.
Back to List
- How much data can I download?
One of the ideas behind PDS-D is that the science user can hone in on
the data products of interest and not need to download an entire data
set, which can be very large (THEMIS is expected to grow to around 6
terabytes. If your download requirements exceed 500 megabytes, it is
suggested that you contact the
PDS_Operator.
Back to List
|
|
