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Network operators will have a new way to submit StationXML metadata to the EarthScope-operated NSF National Geophysical Facility. This approach uses a new Dropoff System now currently in use for miniSEED submission.

Rollout

Starting August 25, 2026, network operators will submit StationXML metadata through the EarthScope Software Development Kit (SDK) and/or CLI, both of which provide client-server upload capabilities. Each submission moves through five steps:

‎‎‎‎ 1. XML validation before upload
2. XML uploaded to cloud
3. Validation of the Station XML
4. Authenticate the submitter
5. Load the metadata into the EarthScope metadata system

The new system accepts StationXML only. Dataless SEED submissions will not be supported. If you currently submit dataless SEED, please convert it to StationXML before submitting (see here).

Documentation for the new submission service is available at:

sdk: https://docs.earthscope.org/sdk/dropoff

cli: https://docs.earthscope.org/cli/upload

Retirement of the existing submission process

The current submission processes of emailing data-archiving@earthscope.org and using the ftp.iris.washington.edu server will be retired on August 24, 2026. Email or FTP submissions received after that date will not be processed. This change does not affect our StationXML harvesting. We will continue to ingest StationXML files posted to your organization’s own FTP site.

Support

Questions, or a submission that fails validation? Contact help@earthscope.org.