Data Policy

This section describes how Rubin data can be used for citizen science projects. It is the responsibilty of the project team to make sure their project is in accordance with Rubin’s Data policy (RDO-013), however the CitSci team is available to help and can answer inquiries regarding data for specific projects. The following sections are intending to provide general support for common data types for projects.

Proprietary

Data released as part of Rubin’s annual data releases are proprietary for two years, as are the prompt-processed visit-images and difference-images (Section 5.1 of RDO-013). Citizen science projects are publicly hosted on the Zooniverse, therefore proprietary data cannot be displayed to the public. Rubin encourages all scientists to consider how their projects can be completed using world public data and/or anonymized or derived data (see below). However, if there is a scientifically compelling reason, project teams are encouraged to reach out to the CitSci team to discuss options.

Public

Rubin data that are considered “public” are freely available for use in citizen science projects. As described in DPOL-301, 503, and 504 in RDO-013, the contents of the alert packets and the Prompt Products Database (PPDB), which are described in the Rubin Data Products Definitions Document (DPDD; LSE-163), are public.

Derived

As described in DPOL-601 in RDO-013, derived data product(s) are “derived from LSST proprietary data but cannot be used to recreate any proprietary LSST data product(s).” For example, images in PNG or JPEG format are considered derived. Derived data products are not proprietary and can be shared on the Zooniverse.

Anonymized

Anonymized data refers to data (public or proprietary) for which the unique identifiers that would be necessary for scientific analysis and publication, such as catalog ID numbers or coordinates, have been removed.

Zooniverse Policies

Zooniverse has multiple policies regarding project design, public engagement, data management, publication of results, and more. These policies are discussed on the Zooniverse Lab Policies page.