Data Policy
Date last updated: 23 Oct 2026 16:52 (MST)
Policies that apply to the access, analysis, and publication of Rubin data are described in full in the Data Policy document. Key data policy (DPOL) items are summarized below.
No reserved science
All types of scientific endeavors are equally open to everyone. (DPOL-303)
Public and proprietary data products
A public data product can be shared with anyone, anywhere, worldwide. Alert packets, data reported to the Minor Planet Center, and the contents of the Prompt Products Database are public. A proprietary data product can only be accessed and analyzed by Rubin data rights holders. Prompt processed images, Prompt source tables during LSST year 1, and the entirety of the annual data releases (including raw images and observational metadata) have a proprietary period of two years. (DPOL-301)
Public and proprietary data access
Rubin Science Platform (RSP) accounts are proprietary and may be held by Rubin data rights holders only. The RSP provides access to public and proprietary data sets, as well as computational resources for data analysis. No access to public (including post-proprietary) data sets is provided by Rubin Observatory for individuals who do not have Rubin data rights (DPOL-302). Anyone may access the public data products, alerts and moving objects, via Alert Brokers or the Minor Planet Center. See the Data access and analysis page.
Rubin data rights holders
US scientists (and students) who are employed (or enrolled) at a US educational or research institution, and who are doing non-profit scientific research. (DPOL-401)
Chilean scientists, professionals, and students as defined by SOCHIAS. (DPOL-402)
International scientists: named individuals on the International In-Kind Data Rights Holders list. (DPOL-402a)
Rubin builders: individuals on the Builders list typically have 2 FTE years of service to Rubin Observatory. (DPOL-403)
Grace period: junior researchers in the US and Chile who lose data rights by moving institutions retain access to released data products for 2 years; additional details apply for international junior researchers. (DPOL-404)
Unaffiliated researchers within the US may submit a request for data rights if the public resources are insufficient; see Amateur astronomers. (DPOL-401)
Collaboration and co-authorship
Individuals with and without Rubin data rights are encouraged to collaborate and co-author papers based on Rubin data.
Co-authorship: Individuals without data rights may co-author papers that publish analyses of proprietary data products. This does not grant them access to that data. (DPOL-702)
Derived data products: Data rights holders may create and share "derived data products" to enable collaboration with colleagues without data rights, provided these products cannot be used to recreate any proprietary data. (DPOL-601)
Limited target lists: Data rights holders may share limited target lists for small samples of up to 1000 LSST objects to facilitate collaboration, such as follow-up observations at other telescopes. (DPOL-603)
A set of collaboration use case examples is provided in Section 8 of the Rubin Data Policy document.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is a "derived data product"?
Data are considered a "derived data product" (DDP) if it is derived from LSST proprietary data, but cannot be used to recreate any proprietary LSST data. Examples of DDPs include, but are not limited to, derived physical properties of objects (e.g., masses, temperatures, classifications); color-color and color-magnitude diagrams; and mass maps generated from shear measurements. Any DDP may be shared with anyone, or may remain proprietary to the creators. (DPOL-601)
What Rubin data can be included in a journal article?
For the purposes of publication, reproducibility of scientific results should be accomplished by including, describing, or citing the queries used to generate the subset on which the analysis was performed, and not by posting or publishing copies of the proprietary LSST data. For example, provide the ADQL statement or a list of query constraints that would enable another data rights holder to identify the same subset. Lists of object identifiers from proprietary datasets are OK to include and share. It is also OK to include, e.g., cutout images, lightcurves, made from proprietary data in figures. It would not be OK to include or make available, for example, FITS files of all images analyzed or a copy of the catalog subset, when using proprietary data products. (DPOL-703)
What data for the 1000 targets can be shared to enable follow-up observations?
In the case where a Rubin data rights holder has a colleague who does not have Rubin data rights, but the colleague does have access to telescope time to obtain follow-up observations, the data rights holder can share a list of up to 1000 targets with their colleague. The lists may include coordinates (RA, Dec) and magnitudes (ugrizy) from the proprietary catalog. It is understood such sharing is only for specific observing proposals. (DPOL-603)
Can I share software that runs on proprietary Rubin data?
The sharing of open-source software that will run on the RSP and analyze Rubin data (including proprietary datasets) is absolutely fine to share publicly (e.g., in a public GitHub repo). For example, the LSST Science Pipelines that process images and produce the catalogs is open source. (DPOL-508)
How are data policy violations dealt with?
Rubin Observatory will not actively monitor the actions of those using Rubin data. Everyone is expected to understand and abide by the Rubin Data Policy (RDO-013). Rubin Observatory reserves the right to sanction individuals who violate the Rubin Data Policy, which might include removing data access privileges from the individual for a period of at least one data release. Suspected violations should be reported to the Data Policy Committee, or to the Rubin director. (DPOL-901)
Rubin data policy quick reference slide deck
Questions?
Find details in the Rubin Data Policy document, linked at the top of this page.
Questions are welcome in the Support category of the Rubin Community Forum.
Rubin Community Forum
Ask questions, get help, report bugs or errors, and join in discussions about Rubin Observatory and its data products, pipelines, and services.