Applying Provenance Extensions to the OPeNDAP Framework

Stakeholders for scientific data, both publishers and consumers, face many challenges in their routine activities.  Consumers require methods to assess whether available data is fit for their usage.  Likewise, producers are often expected to justify their efforts in generating new datasets.  In both cases, the availability of provenance records for data products can be of valuable aid.

The OPeNDAP framework enables web-based access to data in multiple formats and granularities.  However, OPeNDAP presently provides limited support to track the steps involved in generating data products.  This work aims to extend sections of the present OPeNDAP framework with functionality for logging provenance records, enabling consumers to obtain provenance for OPeNDAP datasets.  Additionally, to allow data producers to track how their datasets are used, tracking for how consumers modify and use registered data will be provided.