Enabling Synergy: Improving the Information Infrastructure for Planetary Science

TL;DR

This paper advocates for the development of a specialized digital library and enhanced data curation in planetary science to improve data accessibility and integration with existing astronomical resources.

Contribution

It proposes creating a discipline-specific digital library and improving data curation and linking between data archives and publications in planetary science.

Findings

Proposal for a planetary science digital library

Recommendation to enhance data curation and linking

Suggestion to develop a feature and object information registry

Abstract

In this whitepaper we advocate that the Planetary Science (PS) community build a discipline-specific digital library, in collaboration with the existing astronomy digital library, ADS. We suggest that the PS data archives increase their level of curation to allow for direct linking between the archival data and the derived journal articles. And we suggest that a new component of the PS information infrastructure be created to collate and curate information on features and objects in our solar system, beginning with the USGS/IAU Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature.