Data & Catalog
Data Access
The Laboratories' record is public where it can be, documented where it cannot, and shared with researchers under review where care is required.
The Laboratories believe the record is more valuable open than closed. Most public-facing material is available without registration. Research datasets, raw field records, and preservation-copy holdings are reviewed before release so the data remains interpretable, private obligations are honored, and old records are not damaged by careless handling.
Access classes
| Product | Access | Route |
|---|---|---|
| Persistent Signal Catalog | Open, no registration | Catalog |
| Night Watch | Open, no registration | Public instrument |
| Night Watch public almanac | Open, no registration | JSON and CSV transit-window exports |
| Night Watch correlation ledger | Open, no registration | JSON and CSV review-adjacency exports |
| Field Array static public extract | Open, no registration | JSON and CSV aggregate exports |
| Field Array client operations extract | Open, no registration | JSON and CSV support, health, and release-control exports |
| Field Array work-unit sample ledger | Open, no registration | JSON and CSV representative unit-reference exports |
| Publications and reports | Open report or open abstract | Reading Room |
| Reduced data products | Researcher request | Data Access office |
| Calibration and instrument logs | Reviewed request | Records office |
| Raw continuous field data | Collaboration only | Program review |
| Preservation-copy media | Reading room only | Archive review |
Open products are intended to be inspected, cited, and challenged. Restricted products are not hidden because they are dramatic; they are held because they require metadata, context, collaborator permission, instrument notes, or physical preservation controls before they can be used responsibly.
How requests move
Useful requests name the record precisely. Include any catalog ID, report ID, docket, accession number, observing date, station, instrument, sky position, frequency band, or prior correspondence. A request that says what question is being tested is easier to route than a request for everything.
What a release includes
| Element | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Readme | scope, access state, contact office, and known limitations |
| Data dictionary | field names, units, null behavior, station codes, and version notes |
| Reduction notes | pipeline version, filters, thresholds, and rejected-source handling |
| Correlation notes | what an adjacency score means, what it does not mean, and how to cite the row |
| Checksums | file integrity and transfer verification |
| Citation line | how the record should be cited in public work |
| Use terms | redistribution, privacy, embargo, or collaborator limits |
A reduced dataset without its reduction notes is not considered a release. The Laboratories would rather delay a file than publish a file that cannot be interpreted by someone outside the building.
release_ready = metadata_complete
AND privacy_review_complete
AND calibration_context_present
AND checksum_manifest_present
AND access_state in [open, researcher_request, reading_room]
if preservation_risk == high: access_state = reading_room
if third_party_agreement == active: access_state = reviewed_request- Source
- Records office public release standard
- As of
- 2026
- Method
- Public notation; restricted flags and personal-data checks are summarized only
Stratis systems support reduction, scoring, audit trails, and release packaging for public and researcher-facing data products.
Review criteria
- Whether the requested material is already public under the catalog, Night Watch, publications, or the Reading Room.
- Whether the material is under publication embargo, third-party agreement, donor restriction, or collaborator review.
- Whether release could expose private contributor, candidate, visitor, staff, or site-security information.
- Whether the record has enough calibration and instrument metadata to be interpreted outside FAL.
- Whether the physical copy can be handled, replayed, scanned, or duplicated without preservation risk.
Analysis governance
The Laboratories' analysis pipeline is operated in partnership with Stratis, Inc.. Data released for research use is accompanied by the metadata needed to reproduce the Laboratories' reduction.
| Control | Standard |
|---|---|
| Versioning | release packages carry pipeline and dataset version |
| Audit trail | program office records who approved scope and access state |
| Reproducibility | reduction notes describe filters, thresholds, and exclusions |
| Privacy review | public releases remove personal and site-sensitive details |
| Correction path | published data products can be amended with public version notes |