VizieR catalogue system certified by the Data Seal of Approval

Abstract

Astronomy is a fertile environment with collaborations leading to the elaboration of disciplinary standards. Deploying standards in data centers can be beneficial for long term preservation and it puts the discipline in the open data era. VizieR [1] is the CDS service dedicated to catalogues. It gathers data and tables, but also associated data like spectra or images coming from published papers or collaborations with various agencies. VizieR gives access to data through services to the astronomical community and preserves data for the long term. Several years ago, it became clear that it was worth applying for an external evaluation to certify that VizieR is a trustable data repository. The Data Seal of Approval (DSA) [2] is granted to repositories that are committed to archiving and providing access to scholarly research in a sustainable way. CDS applied to the DSA in particular for the VizieR catalogue service. The VizieR information system is based on accurate data documentation provided by specialists. The data life cycle from ingestion to access and preservation is presented, with reference to the Open Archive Information System (OAIS [3]).