CIRDLES has been accepted as a member of the Federation of Earth Sciences Information Partners (ESIP). ESIP is a non-profit organization that is community-driven and thrives on volunteering, which advances the use of Earth Science data. These advancements come through meetings and virtual collaborations. Topics include “data stewardship, information technology and interoperability, and application areas like disaster response, climate, energy and agriculture”(http://www.esipfed.org/about).

Since CIRDLES has become a member of ESIP, there will be many opportunities to collaborate with other members of ESIP. The ESIP community consists of researchers, data managers, funding agencies, and other individuals who manage data distribution. The community also provides products and services that are related to Earth observation applications. This community comes together to advance methods in sharing, creating, documenting, and managing scientific data.