Metadata Standards and FAIR Principles in Astronomical Data Repositories

Technological advances have enabled new telescopes to generate vast amounts of data that contribute to a better understanding of the universe. Data science and technology work together to transform the observation of the cosmos. Data science driven processing systems make it possible to manage, process, and analyze these data. In this context, repositories play a key role in storing, sharing, and reusing data obtained through observations, simulations, and scientific projects. This work explores different types of repositories, classified according to the kind of data they host: those that store data generated by observatories, space missions, or scientific projects; those that encompass data produced by simulations and computational models; and repositories where researchers themselves deposit data. Data repositories in the field of astronomy have adopted interoperable metadata standards, as well as the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable). They have also integrated the Virtual Observatory initiative, which envisions astronomical datasets and other resources functioning as a unified whole. Accordingly, the metadata used by each repository will be analyzed to identify their differences and similarities, and to assess the extent to which they comply with the FAIR principles. There are also general-purpose repositories, such as Zenodo and Figshare, which provide persistent DOIs and offer broader, less domain-specific descriptions than those found in astronomical repositories. Both of these repositories will also be analyzed.