Data Release Policy

  • The default proprietary period for data obtained through the 2022B semester is 18 months. Starting in 2023A, the default proprietary period for only NASA Keck data is 12 months; the proprietary periods for date from the other Keck partners remains 18months.
     
  • Non-default proprietary options which may be requested (along with a science-based justification) include the following:
    • A period lesser or greater than the default proprietary period for any given observing night allocated within a semester.
    • All proprietary periods are specified with respect to the date of observation.

     
  • If a non-default proprietary period is desired, the following procedure must be followed:
    • The PI must submit to the TAC, along with the observing proposal, the requested non-default proprietary options for each observing night requested. The non-default proprietary options must be justified on the basis of the science investigation.
    • Each institution contributing to the KOA (Caltech, Univ. of California, NASA, and Univ. of Hawaii) will select one person to act as a "selecting official" for final approval of changes to the default proprietary period.
    • If recommended by the TAC and approved by the selecting official, the following information will be submitted by the selecting official to KOA at the time of selection:
      • Proposal id
      • Proprietary period per assigned night
    • KOA will place the release date for each data set in the metadata associated with the data set at the time of data ingest.
    • Upon the first release of any science data within a night or program, all of the calibration files for that program also become public.

     
  • This procedure applies to each semester in which a non-default proprietary option is requested. Data acquired in separate observing semesters require separate non-default proprietary option requests, with the associated scientific justification.