SDO | Data

Data Rights and Rules for Data Use

Copyrights

SDO images and movies are not copyrighted unless explicitly noted. The use of SDO images for non-commercial purposes and public education and information efforts is strongly encouraged and requires no expressed authorization. It is requested, however, that any such use properly attributes the source of the images or data as:

"Courtesy of NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams."
 
 

The SDO science investigators agree to abide the Rules of the Road developed for the Sun-Earth Connection and its successor, the Heliophysics Division. These are:

  1. The Principal Investigators (PI) shall make available to the science data user community (Users) the same access methods to reach the data and tools as the PI uses.
  2. The PI shall notify Users of updates to processing software and calibrations via metadata and other appropriate documentation.
  3. Users shall consult with the PI to ensure that the Users are accessing the most recent available versions of the data and analysis routines.
  4. Browse products are not intended for science analysis or publication and should not be used for those purposes without consent of the PI.
  5. Users shall acknowledge the sources of data used in all publications and reports.
  6. Users shall include in publications the information necessary to allow others to access the particular data used.
  7. Users shall transmit to the PI a copy of each manuscript that uses the PI's data upon submission of that manuscript for consideration of publication.
  8. Users are encouraged to make tools of general utility widely available to the community.
  9. Users are also encouraged to make available value-added data products. Users producing such products must notify the PI and must clearly label the product as being different from the original PI-produced data product. Producers of value-added products should contact the PI to ensure that such products are based on the most recent versions of the data and analysis routines. With mutual agreement, Users may work with the PI to enhance the instrument data processing system, by integrating their products and tools.
  10. The editors and referees of scientific journals should avail themselves of the expertise of the PI while a data set is still unfamiliar to the community, and when it is uncertain whether authors have employed the most up-to-date data and calibrations.