Replication of Archive Data: Experiences with the TerraSAR-X Mission

Abstract

The German Remote Sensing Data Center (DFD) has developed a digital library for the long-term management of earth observation data products. This Product Library is a central part of DFD’s multi-mission ground segment Data Information and Management System (DIMS) and has been successfully in operation since 2000 at the DFD sites in Oberpfaffenhofen (near Munich) and Neustrelitz (north of Berlin). Since the launch of the new German earth observation satellite mission TerraSAR-X, the Product Library is responsible for the storage of all mission data at both sites, Neustrelitz being the main receiving and processing facility, and Oberpfaffenhofen being the complete mission long-term archiving site providing the user services. According to mission-specific policies, TerraSAR-X products are automatically replicated from one archiving site to the other. This paper presents the purpose and requirements for distributed archiving sites, the distributed archive functions provided by the DIMS Product Library and the experiences made for implementing and operating data replication for the TerraSAR-X mission.