The Planetary Surfaces Data and Services Centre (PDSSP)

The Planetary Surfaces Data and Services Centre (PDSSP) is a geospatial data and services center dedicated to studies and research on planetary surfaces. This facility brings together several French research partners in planetology and aims to federate French expertise to index and promote map related data, derived data and services/tools for planetary surface data. Mainly, the current services as defined by the CNRS/INSU as National Observation Services are PSUP, SSHADE and VESPA

The PDSSP offers a search portal to help disseminate and use high value-added data for planetary surfaces. This includes spectral data, geological maps, high-resolution images and DEM and other useful information for the scientific community and students interested in planetary studies.

The Planetary Surfaces Data and Services Centre also contributes to collaboration and interoperability between different thematic projects in the field of planetary surfaces, by providing tools, services and expertise to facilitate information exchange and collaboration between scientists and researchers.

The aim of the Planetary Surfaces Data and Services Centre (PDSSP) is to facilitate access to data and contribute to the creation of products and services by adding value to the space data available. The facility will also serve as a mechanism for the planetary science community to share information and better address the challenges of digital technology. It will be part of the national, European and global landscape, working closely with PSUP (Planetary Surface Portal), VESPA (Virtual European Solar and Planetary Access) and SSHADE (Solid Spectroscopy Hosting Architecture of Databases and Expertise).

The PDSSP's mission is to bring together existing facilities to serve the planetary science community. It is based on the establishment of a spatial data infrastructure for planetary surfaces, providing access to its data. It aims to provide added value, particularly in terms of data and services in fields where data centers do not exist or need to be developed, and in terms of links with European and international systems. The aim is to strengthen the planetary science community, in synergy with the other structures in the field, by giving it access to the data it needs for its research, in accordance with the access standards.

The STAC-PLANET project is the flagship project of the PDSSP in this first phase. STAC-PLANET is based on the implementation of terrestrial standards (from the Open Geospatial Consortium) to planetary surfaces, giving access to this data and also provides interfaces to the VO (Virtual Observatory) enabling VO clients to query and access data through VO protocols. The centre should neither disorganise nor replace existing centres identified as National Observation Services. It must, in synergy with other structures in the field, strengthen the planetary science community by giving it access to the data it needs for its research in the access standards it uses.

The first version of the STAC-PLANET project is planed to be released in the end of 2025.

PSUP : http://psup.ias.u-psud.fr/ 

SSHADE : https://www.sshade.eu/  (see also Erard et al., this meeting EPSC-DPS2025-937)

VESPA : https://vespa.obspm.fr

Fig. 1 Scheme of the STAC-PLANET in PDSSP architecture