The U.S. National Science Foundation requires that each proposal include a data management and sharing plan (DMSP) that details how an NSF-funded project will manage, disseminate, and share research results.
Beyond the data management and sharing plan guidelines outlined in the NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide, the NSF Directorate for Geosciences (NSF GEO) requires that final data sets, metadata files, derived data products, relevant software/code, and physical samples be deposited in a long-lived and publicly accessible archive upon publication of results or within two years of collection, whichever comes first. How the proposal will meet that requirement must be described in the proposal's DMSP. Where full compliance is impracticable or inadvisable, the plan must describe the extent of compliance and justify any limits on accessibility and sharing.
Resources
NSF GEO compiled a list of possible resources that proposers and awardees may consider using to fulfill requirements for the DMSP. This is not an exhaustive list, and proposers may choose to use resources not listed here, including common general-purpose repositories. Please note that this list is current as of November 2026; proposers should confirm that the resource is relevant and available before including it. In addition to depositing datasets in long-lived and publicly accessible archives, NSF awardees are also expected to index each dataset in the NSF Public Access Repository via association with a digital object identifier.
Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences Data Resources
- CEDAR Madrigal database
- National Solar Observatory (NSO) Historical Archive
- ICARUS (Integrated Chamber Atmospheric data Repository for Unified Science)
- NCAR Geoscience Data Exchange (GDEX)
- NCAR/EOL Field Data Archive
Earth Sciences Data Resources
- Digital Porous Media Portal
- EarthChem Library (ECL)
- eRock
- HydroShare
- ICE-D (Informal Cosmogenic-Nuclide Exposure-Age Database)
- MagIC (Magnetics Information Consortium)
- National Geophysical Facility (NGF) Data Services
- Neotoma Paleoecology Database
- OpenTopography
- Paleobiology Database (PBDB)
- StraboSpot
Ocean Sciences Data Resources
- BCO-DMO (Biological and Chemical Oceanography Data Management Office): BCO-DMO is the primary data management archive for Biological Oceanography and Chemical Oceanography program areas in the Ocean Sciences program. Upon starting Biological Oceanography or Chemical Oceanography awards, PIs should immediately register their project by submitting project metadata to BCO-DMO.
- CCHDO (CLIVAR and Carbon Hydrographic Data Office)
- Marine Geoscience Data System (MGDS)
- National Deep Submergence Facility
- Rolling Deck to Repository (R2R)
Other Data Resources
Physical Sample Resources
- Continental Scientific Drilling Facility
- Lamont-Doherty Core Repository
- NSF Ice Core Facility
- Ohio State University – Polar Rocks Repository
- Oregon State University – Marine and Geology Repository
- Scripps Geological Collections
- System for Earth and Extraterrestrial Sample Registration (SESAR): SESAR is a comprehensive index for registration of physical sample metadata, but it does not provide for storage or archival of the samples themselves.
- University of Rhode Island – Marine Geological Samples Laboratory
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) Seafloor Samples Laboratory