Updates to the PDS/PPI Website

Introduction

A new version of the NASA Planetary Data System (PDS) Planetary Plasma Interactions (PPI) Node website (https://pds-ppi.igpp.ucla.edu/) was released in April 2024. This new website is designed to make PDS/PPI data holdings more findable, accessible, and reusable. In combination with PDS4 migration efforts, which include translating the data to more interoperable formats, the new website presents a major step forward in improving the FAIRness of the PDS/PPI data archive.

 

PDS/PPI Archive Web Access

The Planetary Plasma Interactions Node has been part of the Planetary Data System since its formation in 1989. PPI has maintained a public webpage for most of that period. PPI data have been web accessible dating back to the mid-1990’s.

 

The most recent iteration of the PPI webpage was officially released in April 2024. This version is designed to take better advantage of PDS4 metadata and organizational capabilities, including enhanced metadata, logical archive browsing, and discipline level extensions to the PDS4 Information Model.

 

PPI Website API and Tool Support

PPI has implemented a number of multidisciplinary APIs to enhance access to its data holdings. These include instances of the Heliophysics Application Programming Interface (HAPI), and the EuroPlanet-Table Access Protocol (EPN-TAP). These APIs make PPI data readily accessible to software applications such as Autoplot and TOPCAT.

 

The PPI website also offers a number of internal web tools and services. These include VISTA, a web visualization utility, and CSV and VOTable download options.

 

Conclusion

Efforts to ensure the FAIRness of PDS/PPI’s data holdings continue. Improvements to the web interface and new features and functionality continue to be added. The parallel effort to provide versions of PPI data in more user accessible formats also continues. Users are invited to provide feedback.