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| NASA Earthdata Login | |
|---|---|
| Name | NASA Earthdata Login |
| Developer | NASA Earthdata |
NASA Earthdata Login
NASA Earthdata Login is an authentication and user management system used by NASA for access to Earth science data and services, supporting integration with data portals, APIs, and scientific archives. It connects users to distributed datasets across platforms operated by agencies and institutions such as NASA, NOAA, USGS, ESA, and research centers associated with Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Goddard Space Flight Center, and California Institute of Technology. The system underpins access to data from missions like Landsat, MODIS, Terra (satellite), Aqua (satellite), and programs such as Earth Observing System and Land Remote Sensing.
Earthdata Login provides centralized identity management for scientists, educators, and partners to retrieve and manage remote sensing products, model outputs, and derived datasets. It interoperates with archive services and portals including Earthdata Search, Earthdata Cloud, LAADS DAAC, NSIDC, and ORNL DAAC, while supporting programmatic access for tools like Hadoop, Apache Spark, Jupyter Notebook, and Google Earth Engine. The platform facilitates data citation, usage tracking, and compliance with data policies established by entities such as National Space Council, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and international agreements like the Paris Agreement.
Development of Earthdata Login evolved from earlier NASA identity systems and data access initiatives linked to missions supported by Goddard Space Flight Center, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and collaborative projects with NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center, and academic partners including Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, and University of California, Berkeley. Key milestones include integration with data archives associated with Landsat program, MODIS instruments, and services developed under programs funded by NASA Headquarters and coordinated with European Space Agency research collaborations. The platform matured alongside cyberinfrastructure projects funded by agencies like National Science Foundation and multinational consortia such as Group on Earth Observations.
Earthdata Login offers user registration, single sign-on capabilities, token-based API access, user profile management, and access control lists for distributed data holdings. It connects with data distribution services including OpenDAP, OPeNDAP, THREDDS, Granule Metadata, and archives like GES DISC, Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC), and Alaska Satellite Facility. The service supports programmatic clients such as curl, wget, python, and scientific platforms including MATLAB, R (programming language), and ArcGIS.
Authentication relies on federated identity, OAuth2, token exchange, and legacy username/password paradigms, and supports integration with identity providers like ORCID, Google, CILogon, and institutional federations such as InCommon. The system implements protocols used in cyberinfrastructure such as OpenID Connect, SAML, and secure transport with TLS, often interfacing with authorization services operated by NASA Enterprise Services, Amazon Web Services, and cloud providers collaborating with missions like ICESat-2 and GRACE.
Earthdata Login enables access to granules, collections, and products via APIs and portals including Earthdata Search, Common Metadata Repository, Data Access Protocols, and mission-specific nodes like MODIS Adaptive Processing System and Landsat Science Team interfaces. It supports cross-referencing with bibliographic and citation services such as Digital Object Identifier registries and integrates with data management systems deployed at National Snow and Ice Data Center, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and academic data repositories like Dryad.
Security practices for the platform align with federal standards from agencies like National Institute of Standards and Technology and directives such as Federal Information Security Management Act and guidance from Office of Management and Budget. Privacy controls accommodate Personally Identifiable Information policies of NASA Privacy Program and compliance frameworks interfacing with partners including NOAA, USGS, and international data sharing agreements. Incident response and vulnerability management coordinate with centers such as United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team and federal cybersecurity initiatives.
Users create accounts associated with email and institutional affiliations, manage profiles, request access to restricted datasets, and grant application credentials for automated workflows used by research groups at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and university consortia. Account provisioning interfaces with identity federations, enabling collaboration with projects supported by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and international partners including European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites.
Earthdata Login supports researchers conducting climate studies using datasets from ICESat-2, GRACE-FO, and SMAP, disaster response coordination leveraging FEMA workflows, and environmental monitoring for agencies like EPA. It enables educational use by institutions such as NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Education Office, University of Maryland, and outreach through platforms like NASA Earth Observatory, facilitating scientific publications, operational forecasting collaborations with National Weather Service, and contributions to initiatives such as Global Climate Observing System.