About

The SUDS initiative at JPL began as an effort to understand and advance how data science was being used in the three primary science domains at JPL: Earth Science, Planetary Science, and Astrophysics. This was in response to the explosive growth of data science approaches in the broader scientific literature and the perception of its less frequent application within JPL.

The first SUDS Council operated from 2020 to 2021 to evaluate the current state of practice for data science in the physical sciences as well as to identify both opportunities for and challenges to its further adoption. The Council’s membership included diverse representation across the different science and engineering organizations, as well as Caltech. The result was a 58-page report that identified opportunities in each science domain. While isolated demonstrations of feasibility existed with both positive and negative outcomes, these were not sufficient to ignite a sustained, institution-wide engagement. The report also included detailed recommendations, falling into two high-level objectives: the creation of a community of practice centered on collaborations to advance outstanding physical science questions and clear demonstrations of collaborative success that resulted in well-cited publications in leading science journals.

The SUDS initiative has been funded to execute on the findings of the report during the period of 2021–2024 in two ways. First, as a host of working groups lead by both physical scientists and data scientists tasked with the execution of the report’s recommendations in the areas of mutual education, community events such as seminars, organizational inreach and integration, and the formation of strategic external partnerships. Second, as demonstrations of large-scale applications of data science to cutting-edge science R&A challenges that also feature cross-cutting data science approaches. After its three-year internal funding period, the community must transition to a self-sustaining model that is integrated with established JPL procedures and organizational structures.