ARM Expands Data Discovery Capabilities with New Integrations and AI-Driven Features

Published: 24 November 2025

ARM Data Center also releases new and upgraded data interfaces to support users

Editor’s note: The following is an update from ARM Chief Data and Computing Officer Giri Prakash.

A search page showing different data products and descriptions under the VIRRS Data Repository category in ARM's Data Discovery — This search page shows the availability of NASA VIIRS data sets within ARM’s Data Discovery system.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s ARM Data Center has launched a series of major upgrades to the Data Discovery system. These updates, led by Wade Darnell and the Data Discovery team, aim to enhance how users find, explore, and analyze ARM User Facility data.

Key enhancements include:

Integration of international data sets from the Aerosol, Clouds, and Trace Gases Research Infrastructure (ACTRIS), broadening ARM’s global data connections.
Incorporation of satellite data such as those from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), enabling users to cross-reference ARM observations with external satellite measurements.
- To access the ACTRIS and satellite data, click on the Data Search button at the top of Data Discovery. Once on the search page, slide the “Include External Repositories” toggle bar (located underneath the main search text bar) to the right. A Data Repository category will appear on the left-hand side of the screen with different repositories listed.
A new “epoch case illustration” feature within the Guided Search tool, allowing users to identify data sets associated with specific atmospheric events.
- This option is currently available for the closed and open mesoscale cellular convection epochs at ARM’s Eastern North Atlantic (ENA) atmospheric observatory, but we plan to expand it to epochs at other locations. To access the case illustration feature, go to Guided Search, then select Epoch (By Location). Once you select the ENA location and one of the cellular convection epoch types, in the calendar views, if you mouse over a date, there is an epoch illustration. You can then click that to see the illustration.

A screenshot of ARM's account dashboard page captures machine learning-based data recommendations with the message, "You may be interested in these data products," and a list of five products to search. — Machine learning (ML)-based data recommendations are available to users who opt in to the feature through the ML Recommendations button in their account dashboard.

A data recommendation system powered by artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML), which suggests relevant data sets based on a user’s publications, prior downloads, and similar research interests.
- The AI/ML-based data recommendation system, which is an opt-in feature for users, personalizes data discovery and helps users uncover new connections across ARM’s extensive archive. To opt in, you can log in to view your account dashboard using the Account button at the top of Data Discovery and then click on the ML Recommendations button on the left-hand side of the screen.

Together, these updates are designed to improve data findability, accessibility, and the overall user experience for a broad range of scientific users.

New LASSO Browser, Upgraded Data Workbench Dashboard Now Available

In addition, the ARM Data Center recently introduced a bundle browser for users to access high-resolution atmospheric simulations, quick-look plots, and skill score evaluations for the Large-Eddy Simulation (LES) ARM Symbiotic Simulation and Observation (LASSO) activity’s newest scenario. The browser for the new scenario, which focuses on simulations of shallow marine clouds at ARM’s ENA observatory, is available at lasso-ena.arm.gov.

More information about the LASSO-ENA browser is included in a blog post by LASSO Principal Investigator William Gustafson.

The new ARM Data Workbench dashboard provides links to different ARM tools that users can access for specific functions: Find, Stage, Visualize, Manage, Learn, and Publish. — The ARM Data Workbench dashboard provides one-stop access to tools for accessing and using ARM data.

The ARM Data Center team, led by Darnell and Kyle Dumas, also rolled out an upgraded ARM Data Workbench dashboard that provides seamless access to ARM data, computing, and software tools. Users can now explore and visualize data directly through ARM’s Jupyter Notebook and Data Studio environments, leveraging open-source software developed by ARM staff. Additional information about the dashboard is available in a previous ARM article.

Share Your Feedback with the ARM Data Center

We welcome your feedback on using our recent releases. Our goal is to provide simplified yet powerful ways for users to quickly find and use ARM data.

To provide feedback, please click on the red Feedback tab on the right side of the screen in the Data Discovery system, LASSO-ENA browser, or Data Workbench dashboard, and then follow the prompts.

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ARM is a DOE Office of Science user facility operated by nine DOE national laboratories.