Earth observation data handling is a task that usually outlives the duration of an earth observation mission. Acquired payload data has to be preserved and handled far beyond the initial satellite platform’s lifetime, since its value increases with its age, for example in the domain of global change monitoring. Thus preservation and migration is required not only for data but also for the systems handling the data. At the same time near real-time applications require instantaneous access to newly acquired and value-added data, such as in the domain of hazard management. Assuring long-term operations capability combined with the flexibility to provide new value-added data and services is a genuine engineering challenge for earth observation data management.
The Data Information Management System (DIMS) developed and operated by DFD addresses this challenge by providing generic multimission system modules which can be extended and customized for upcoming earth observation missions. Additional functionality such as complex value-adding and cross-mission production workflows, ordering of future acquisitions, data subscription, near-real-time delivery and online data access services is developed and configured to meet concrete mission requirements. DIMS relies on abstract metadata, data and service models that allow identification and encapsulation of required functions, configuration of new workflows and extension of data structures, usually performed during nominal interruption-free system operation. Endowed with this flexibility, multimission systems like DIMS are optimally suited to assure system and payload data sustainability and savings in operating costs through unified, operative processes.