The CEOS International Directory Network (CEOS IDN) is an international effort developed to assist researchers in locating information on available data sets.   The CEOS IDN is sponsored by the Technology and Services Subgroup of the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) as a service to both the Earth and space science communities.   The CEOS IDN provides free, online access to information on worldwide scientific data in the Earth sciences: geoscience, hydrospheric, biospheric, satellite remote sensing, and atmospheric sciences.   The CEOS IDN describes data held by university departments, government agencies, and other organizations.

There are three coordinating nodes of the CEOS IDN for the European, Asian, and American.  Please see the CEOS IDN map for the site locations.   Each coordinating node has affiliated sites with which they cooperate.   These sites, called cooperating nodes, provide a path for researchers within a country or region to participate in the CEOS IDN. Cooperating nodes may support directories specializing in a specific subject, or, although not required, may maintain the complete IDN database.   More detail is provided through the IDN Task Team Profile

Frequently Asked Questions

1) What is the difference between the Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) and the International Directory Network (IDN)?

The Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) is a directory of Earth science data and services, funded by NASA for the purpose of tracking and subsequently locating NASA's Earth science data and services. The International Directory Network (IDN) is part of NASA's contribution to international Earth sciences efforts.   It extends the GCMD capabilities for use by interagency and international collaborators.

2) What is an IDN "Portal"?

The Wikipedia definition for a portal: web portals are sites on the web that typically provide personalized capabilities for their visitors.
The International Directory Network (IDN) offers "virtual subsets" of the full directory, along with customized views for participants and groups to emphasize their contribution, track their data holdings, and wish to offer their content as part of the larger collaborative effort.

3) What is the method of communication among the worldwide participants?

The IDN Newsletter is published twice a year in conjunction with the CEOS WGISS meetings. The Interoperability Forum provides a vehicle for communication related to the Directory Interchange Format (DIF) and Services Entry Record Format (SERF).   It is through this Forum that additions, deletions, and modifications to these standards are made, in conjunction with ISO and other standards organizations.