What question did this study set out to answer?

To address the challenges and strategies in data rescue following the termination of the NASA SEDAC contract.

March 13, 2026Open Access

Data Rescue Efforts at a Defunded Data Repository

Key Points

To address the challenges and strategies in data rescue following the termination of the NASA SEDAC contract.
Webinar format featuring expert speakers
Focus on lessons learned from data preservation efforts
Discussion of community responses to resource challenges
Emphasized the need for community solidarity in data preservation
Highlighted practical lessons for other data repositories
Identified the impact of political support on data initiatives

Abstract

This webinar, featuring Alex de Sherbinin, focused on data rescue efforts and other lessons learned in the wake of the contract termination of the NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC), which was managed by Columbia University’s CIESIN since the late 1990s. It offers lessons for other data repositories and underscores the importance of solidarity in the data community in the face of shrinking resources and waning political support for data preservation. Alex de Sherbinin served as a manager of the NASA SEDAC from 2006-2025. He was also a member then chair of the WDS Scientific Committee from 2015-2021, of which SEDAC was a regular member. Dr. de Sherbinin is a geographer whose research interests focus on the human aspects of global environmental change and geospatial data applications, integration, and dissemination.

Data Rescue Efforts at a Defunded Data Repository

Key Points

Abstract

Cite This Study