FAST Data Policy

2021-12-16

        Cooperation, openness, and mutual benefits are of the basic principles for all humanity in the exploration of the Universe. As a mega-science facilities in China, FAST strictly complies with the Chinese laws and regulations on data acquisition, storage, utilization, and publication, and at the same time follows the international conventions regarding to the usage and management of scientific data.

        I．Data Categories

       Following international conventions for large telescope management, FAST data are classified into the following categories:

1. Data from free application (PI-time) projects: Observations proposed by domestic or foreign scientists, and approved by the Time Allocation Committee. The duration of this type of observations is normally short, usually within the same scheduling season.
2. Data for priority and key science projects: Data generated from FAST priority and key scientific projects selected and approved by the FAST Scientific Committee. The duration of this type of observations is normally long, even up to several years.
3. Reserved data: Data not suitable for free and open access. The data obtained over the Director Discretionary Time (DDT) according to international practice falls into this category.
4. Engineering data: Data acquired during telescope commissioning and testing, and also include all data generated by test observations.

      II．Data Policy in each Category

      Policies for using FAST data are formulated based on the data categories listed in the above Section I：

1. Data from free application projects: The protection period is 12 months; that is, the scientific team that submits the observational proposal shall have the right of first use for 12 months after the date of data collection. During this period, the data shall in principle be used within the scope of the proposal approved by the Time Allocation Committee. Scientific results shall be published by the corresponding scientific team after being reviewed by the reviewer designated by the FAST Scientific Committee. After 12 months from the date of data collection, the data will be released by FAST Operation and Development Center, and the released data can be used without restriction.
2. Data from priority and key scientific projects: These projects last a longer period of time, and the data will be divided by the FAST Scientific Committee into several release phases. The data from each phase will be released after a proprietary period of no longer than 12 months. The team that submits the proposal shall have the right of first use for 12 months after the date of data collection. After the proprietary period, the data will be publicly released by FAST Operation and Development Center and can be used freely.
3. Any person who is not part of the project team can apply to get access to the above two types of data during the proprietary period. The application should be sent to the project’s PI or the FAST Scientific Committee. If approved, the data can be used for collaborative or independent research.
4. Engineering data: These data are archived and released by FAST Operation and Development Center within the National Astronomical Observatories of Chinese Academy of Sciences, and not open to the public. Specific requests for use of engineering data should be sent to the FAST Science Committee.

     III．Acknowledgments

     Publications that make use of the FAST data should include the following acknowledgments:
     Achnowledgement for publications in Chinese language: “本工作在FAST（500米口径球面射电望远镜）数据基础上完成。FAST是由中国科学院国家天文台运行和管理的国家大科学装置。”

     Acknowledgement for publications in non-Chinese languages：“This work has used the data from the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope ( FAST ).  FAST is a Chinese national mega-science facility, operated by the National Astronomical Observatories of Chinese Academy of Sciences (NAOC).”

     Publications without proper acknowledgments will have a negative impact on the future observational proposals made by the relevant authors.

     IV．Supplementary Notes

    (1) In accordance with international conventions, Data Policies for large astronomical telescopes shall fully protect the rights and interests of the funding agencies. As a Chinese mega-science facility fully funded by the Chinese government, FAST should serve the Chinese astronomical community, and the data obtained therefrom shall be shared by astronomical institutions across the country.  

   (2) Overseas cooperative units or individuals participating in FAST projects through cooperation with domestic units shall reflect this partnership in the acknowledgements of relevant publications.

  (3) FAST Operation and Development Center should archive the telescope observational data timely, and regularly publish the information of its data acquisition and data products.

  (4) For special cases not covered by the above policies, the FAST Operation and Development Center should propose plans and submit them to the Scientific Committee for discussion and approval before implementation.

  (5) Due to bandwidth limitations, it is unpractical to transfer huge amounts of data acquired at the FAST observatory over the internet. Thus, it is encouraged and advised to make direct copies of the released FAST data using hard disks at the FAST Data Center.

   This Data Policies shall be interpreted and updated by the FAST Scientific Committee.