ESO Archive Frequently Asked Questions

Getting Data: How was the proprietary period of Service Mode data regulated?

 

The following one was the recipe used to regulate the proprietary period of Service Mode data up until Period 90 (31-Mar-2013). The implementation of the data proprietary period regulation has changed starting Period 91 as described in a different FAQ.

For data observed in Service Mode, the start of the proprietary period of any given scientific raw data file is defined when the earliest of the following events occurs:

  1. The PI (or a delegate) requests (FTP) or successfully downloads (instant download) the file through their User Portal account credentials (*);
  2. The observing run the file belongs to is declared closed, including both "completed" and "terminated" runs;
  3. The end of the Observing Period is reached.

As soon as the earliest of these three events happens, the release date of the affected files is set to be the date of the triggering event plus "the proprietary period" (typically one year), and the proprietary countdown begins.

Any subsequent event has no effect on the release dates of the files affected by previous events.

Calibration files are not subject to any proprietary period, and are immediately accessible by all users.

(*) When using the FTP download, submission of an archive request is enough to trigger the setting of the release date.
When using the instant download, the release date is reset if and only if the file was successfully downloaded.