Additional Requirements and Guidance for Digital Data Management

The following requirements and guidance provided by the ASCR program office supplement but do not replace the requirements and guidance in the Office of Science Statement on Digital Data Management.

ASCR considers software to be a data artifact that is covered by the Office of Science Statement on Digital Data Management. Research funded by ASCR may produce several different types of software (e.g., those that encode a mathematical algorithm, implement a specific tool or service, become part of a base Operating System). Other funded research may result in the creation or consumption of data that could be used to analyze application or system behavior. Software and data created by funded research must be released with sufficient descriptions to facilitate the validation of research results.

ASCR Software Policy:

PI’s should review the ASCR software policy when developing a DMP.

Program Requirements

  1. The DMP must briefly discuss the applicable issues listed below:

    • The Open Source License to be used, if applicable;
    • If executable versions of the software will also be released, and if so what format will be used;
    • How software can be found and accessed and the length of time the software will be publicly available;
    • How any proprietary 3rd party software or libraries are used in the creation of this software;

  1. Describe how data sources that contain Personally Identifiable Information (PII) will be properly handled in accordance with DOE guidelines and policy.

  2. All ASCR facilities have published information about their data sharing and preservation resources and policies. DMPs must be consistent with any applicable facility policy.

Subprogram Requirements

Information and requirements enunciated by an ASCR subprogram Funding Opportunity Announcement may provide additional guidance on how to complete the DMP.

FAQs

For FAQs that are not specific to ASCR, please visit this page.

  1. My software uses proprietary libraries for some functions. Must I supply licenses with my source code?

    No: The use of proprietary software should be limited and the distribution package must clearly describe how users can obtain this proprietary software.

  2. Can I distribute only executable versions of the software?

    No: The source code for publicly releasable software must be made available. Executable versions may also be provided.

  3. I uploaded all my data to NERSC for storage; do I still need to address archival storage issues in my DMP?

    Yes: You must comply with the Office of Science Statement on Digital Data Management and review NERSC’s statement about digital data management resources.  Reliance on data management resources or infrastructure at an Office of Science facility may require a letter from that facility.

  4. What specific Open Source license do I need to use?

    ASCR does not require a specific license be used. You should evaluate your options and choose the license best suited for your software.