Data Release Policy

• The default proprietary period for all data is 18 months from the date of observation.
   
• Non-default proprietary options which may be requested (along with a science-based justification) include the following:
  • A period lesser or greater than 18 months for any given observing night allocated within a semester.
  • Separate proprietary periods for the individual HIRES CCDs. These periods may each be either the default 18 months or a different period.
  • 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
    • Proprietary period per HIRES CCD
  • KOA will place the release date for each data set in the metadata associated with the data set at the time of data ingest.
  • In the absence of any specific proprietary request associated with an observing proposal, KOA will assign to the data from all three CCDs a release date corresponding to the default proprietary period of 18 months from the date of observation.
  • 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.