Study on Classification System of Data for Earth System Science
地球系统科学数据分类体系研究

The earth system is composed of lithosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, atmosphere and outer space. Earth system science probes into interaction between these spheres, rules of earth system changes and mechanism leading the changes. It will lay foundation for predicting global environmental changes and provide scientific basis for managing earth system. Data is the key to earth system science's existence and development. The theoretic study on earth system science has to rely on plentiful data. Data construction and information system development have been regarded an infrastructure of geosciences. Data classification is a fundamental work for data organizing, data management and data sharing. On the basis of spheres of the earth, main disciplines for each sphere and data contents of each discipline, with the principles of scientism, systematism, hierarchy, expansibility, practicality and compatibility obeyed, data of earth system science is classified into 14 categories and 88 subcategories. This classification system is actually applied to a national Scientific Data Sharing Program, named China Sharing Network for Earth System Science Data. Data classification is a very work. Earth system science is in form-taking stage and it has not complete theoretical and methodological systems. With development of earth system science, data classification system put forward in this paper will be updated and perfected unceasingly.