Analogies and Comparisons for STM Data Bodies

Space Traffic Management (STM) has already demonstrated its potential to be extremely data-intensive. The large number of objects on orbit today, if observed constantly throughout their lifetimes, could produce a staggeringly large number of observations that might in turn generate large numbers of orbits. Orbit data with a lengthy time history can be used to produce estimates of maneuver frequency, susceptibility to natural forces such as drag, and (if combined with photometric data) assessments of behavioral patterns of life. A future of mega-constellations and a growing number of nations and organizations with assets on orbit would make it likely that the amount of resident space objects will scale by some substantial factor, with a commensurate increase in collected STM data. Examining the factors that led to creation of past datasets of a comparable level of richness and size may identify specific domains or situations where data, and the management practices thereof, scaled in ways that can provide insights for managing the future growth of STM data. STM data will not only become more challenging to utilize as volume growth occurs, but needs for data storage, dissemination, and processing will become steadily more ambitious as the user base for bodies of future STM data grows. This paper seeks to assess other domains where such data sets are present, including from other data-intensive human endeavors, and map the general contours of their development and use, with an eye to deriving lessons and insights for the future of STM