IN33A-1156
Catalog Federation and Interoperability for Geoinformatics
With the increasing proliferation of online resources in the geosciences, including data, tools, and software
services, there is also a proliferation of catalogs containing metadata that describe these resources. To
realize the vision articulated in the NSF Workshop on Building a National Geoinformatics System, March
2007—where a user can sit at a terminal and easily search, discover, integrate and use distributed
geoscience resources—it will be essential that a search request be able to traverse these multiple metadata
catalogs.
In this paper, we describe our effort at prototyping catalog interoperability across multiple metadata catalogs.
An example of a metadata catalog is the one employed in the GEON Project (www.geongrid.org). The central
GEON catalog can be searched using spatial, temporal, and other metadata-based search criteria. The
search can be invoked as a Web service and, therefore, can be imbedded in any software application. There
has been a requirement from some of the GEON collaborators (for example, at the University of Hyderabad,
India and the Navajo Technical College, New Mexico) to deploy their own catalogs, to store information about
their resources locally, while they publish some of this information for broader access and use. Thus, a
search must now be able to span multiple, independent GEON catalogs. Next, some of our
collaborators—e.g. GEO Grid (Global Earth Observations Grid) in Japan—are implementing the Catalog
Services for the Web (CS-W) standard for their catalog, thereby requiring the search to span across catalogs
implemented using the CS-W standard as well. Finally, we have recently deployed a search service to
access all EarthScope data products, which are distributed across organizations in Seattle, WA (IRIS),
Boulder, CO (UNAVCO), and Potsdam, Germany (ICDP/GFZ). This service essentially implements a virtual
catalog (the actual catalogs and data are stored at the remote locations). So, there is the need to
incorporate such 3rd party searches within a broader search function, such as GEONsearch in the GEON
Portal.
We will discuss technical issues involved in designing and deploying such a multi-catalog search service in
GEON.
http://portal.geongrid.org
IN33A-1157
NOAA's GEO-IDE Initiative – Enhancing the Discoverability, Accessibility, and Usability of Environmental Information
NOAA is making substantial progress in enhancing the ability of users to discover, access, and use the vast amount of environmental information that it collects, maintains, and stores. It has defined a Global Earth Observation – Integrated Data Environment (GEO-IDE) initiative to promote and enable the interoperability of its own data management services and to ensure that they are compatible and aligned with interagency and international efforts that are underway (e.g. GOESS, IOOS). A fundamental premise of GEO-IDE is that its implementation will be accomplished through the joint efforts of the programs and projects that develop NOAA's environmental data and information services. The concept for GEO-IDE was developed by data management professionals from across NOAA and although it is a relatively new initiative, a number of projects are already contributing to its realization. These projects share similar data discovery, access and usability requirements and through several pilot activities they are exploring the use of common interfaces, guidelines and approaches that will greatly improve user access to the full range of NOAA's data and information services. This poster will provide an overview of these pilot projects and will highlight the potential benefit of the GEO-IDE initiative to both NOAA and its scientific user community.
IN33A-1158
Towards a System for High-Performance, Multi-Language, Component-Based Modeling
The Community Surface Dynamics Modeling System (CSDMS) is a recently NSF-funded project that
represents an effort to bring together a diverse community of surface dynamics modelers and model users.
Key goals of the CSDMS project are to (1) promote open-source code sharing and re-use, (2) to develop a
review process for code contributions, (3) promote recognition of contributors, (4) develop a "library" of low-
level software tools and higher-level models that can be linked as easily as possible into new applications
and (5) provide resources to simplify the efforts of surface dynamics modelers. The architectural framework
of CSDMS is being designed to allow code contributions to be in any of several different programming
languages (language independence), to support a migration towards parallel computation and to support
multiple operating systems (platform independence).
After evaluating a number of different "coupling frameworks," the CSDMS project has decided to use a DOE-
funded set of tools and standards called the Common Component Architecture (CCA) as the foundation for
our model-linking efforts. CCA was specifically designed to meet the needs of high-performance, scientific
computing. It also includes a powerful, language-interoperability tool called Babel that permits
communication between components written in any of several major programming languages, including C,
C++, Java, Fortran (all years) and Python. The CSDMS project has been collecting open-source
components from our modeling community in all of these languages, including a variety of terrestrial, marine,
coastal and hydrological models. CSDMS is now focused on the problem of how best to wrap these
components with interfaces that allow them to be linked together with maximum ease and flexibility. To this
end, we are adapting a Java version of the OpenMI (Open Modeling Interface) standard and an associated
software development kit for use within a CCA framework. Our goal is to combine the best features of CCA
and OpenMI to create a powerful plug-and-play system of interoperable modeling components. This talk will
summarize our progress to date.
http://csdms.colorado.edu
IN33A-1159
A Standard Format to Describe Earth Models and Improve Their Dissemination
Earth models, resulting from seismic tomographic studies, are expressed following very different conventions and formats. A standard representation for the exchange and distribution of earth models can greatly enhance their circulation and ease their usage, both by fellow seismologists and by a broader non-specialist community. This subject has been given special consideration within the Research Activity devoted to the definition of a European Reference Earth Model in the NERIES European Commission research project, and a solution based on semantic data approaches and web technologies is being implemented, fully fitting the current trends in open data accessibility. The aim is the creation of self-describing data-structures, both human and machine readable, that are automatically indexed by general-purpose software agents, and easily imported in any scientific programming environment. The proposed solution is based on the Json formalism to integrate the large datasets and all metadata informations (authors, insitutions, bibliographic references, units of measure etc.) into a single resource. It exploits the capabilities of the web browser as a computing platform: a series of in-page quick tools for comparative analysis between models will be presented, as well as visualization techniques for tomographic layers in Google Maps™ and Google Earth™.
IN33A-1160
A Model Web Interoperability Experiment Using The Terrestrial Observation and Prediction System and OpenModeller
Several recent advancements in science can be attributed to our ability to discover, share, integrate and analyze data. Creating a mechanism to achieve data discoverability and interoperability across scientific domains and data systems can be initially overwhelming. We use the Terrestrial Observation and Prediction System (TOPS), a data and modeling software system designed to generate and integrate data from numerous sources, OpenModeller, a fundamental niche modeling system for species distribution prediction, and the Open geospatial consortium (OGC) web coverage service (WCS) 1.0 protocol specification for model data exchange. TOPS provided approximately 225 statistically downscaled Global Circulation Model (GCM) runs from the Intergovernmental Panel on climate Change (IPCC) 4th assessment data archive. The GCM data were downscaled, repackaged and served via a lightweight WCS server with spatial and temporal sub- setting capabilities. OpenModeller, which was executed by an external group, leveraged the climatic scenarios provided by the TOPS WCS server to drive a niche model and produce an ensemble of species distribution predictions. The value added by TOPS downscaling and its capability to provide coverage's for specific time ranges and areas of interest was significant. This exercise shows that when geospatial information sources and models enter into a loosely coupled interoperable environment, using a standards- based approach, it is not difficult for modeling systems to utilize valuable services provided by external entities that are otherwise not available "in house".
IN33A-1161
Delivering CF-netCDF Coverages via Standard Protocols: a WCS Extension Standard
The CF-netCDF data format has been proposed as a standard extension to the OGC (Open Geospatial
Consortium) WCS (Web Coverage Service) core specification. The WCS core specification defines a protocol
for describing and requesting grid (or "simple") coverages but leaves various details, including defining
response encoding formats, for extension standards. The CF-netCDF format is widely used in the
weather, climate, and ocean modeling community and the need for
CF-netCDF as a supported WCS format was a key conlusion of the GALEON (Geo-interface for Air, Land,
Environment, Ocean NetCDF) OGC Interoperability Experiment. This presentation outlines the key aspects of
the proposed CF-netCDF encoding extension standard. The proposed extension consists of a mapping of
the CF-netCDF data model (as embodied in Unidata's Common Data Model) to the ISO 19123 coverage
specification, example WCS responses to describeCoverage and getCoverage requests for CF-netCDF
encoded coverages as well as pointers to definitive documentation, examples, and implementations.
http://galeon-wcs.jot.com/WikiHome
IN33A-1162
An Interoperable Framework to Access In-Situ OPeNDAP Data
A huge amount of in-situ ocean observation and hydrology related data are made available to scientists through a uniform access interface, the OPeNDAP inteface. However, there are few interoperable clients that support the interface, and existing clients only provide data access to a specific OPeNDAP server rather than employ flexible data access mechanisms. Moreover, current data visualization is limited to 2-D, which is not very intuitive for end users. To overcome the shortcomings, we developed a linkage and a client to provide a compatible and interactive data access and visualization interface for both gridded and sequence data from multiple remote OPeNDAP servers providing NetCDF, HDF5 and other data formats. The system 1) to fully understand the data structures, attributes and knowledge of data from different OPeNDAP servers, semantic technique is employed and a semantic mapping table defining the usage conventions helps parsing the given metadata description files. 2) After selecting the variable, time interval and spatial extent, the request constructor is started to organize the constraint expression for subsetting the datasets. 3) The multi- threading enabled downloading mechanism helps to download the subset datasets in the intermediate format-DODS simultaneously. Once all the datasets are downloaded, an applet based java plug-in is able to support 3-D visualization by rendering the data with extended NASA's World Wind. If the data are in a time sequence, an animation is automatically generated and displayed within World Wind. Meanwhile, a KML file is generated automatically for users to visualize data in Google Earth.
IN33A-1163
Geo-Spatial Browse and Distribution of NSF-OPP's Antarctic Ice and Climate Data via the Web: Antarctic Cryosphere Access Portal (A-CAP)
A prototype of the Antarctic Cryosphere Access Portal (A-CAP) has been released for public use. Developed
at the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) Antarctic Glaciological Data Center (AGDC), A-CAP aims
to be a geo-visualization and data download tool for AGDC data and other Antarctic-wide parameters,
including glaciology, ice core data, snow accumulation, satellite imagery, digital elevation models (DEMs), sea
ice concentration, and many other cryosphere-related scientific measurements. The user can zoom in to a
specific region as well as overlay coastlines, placenames, latitude/longitude, and other geographic
information.
In addition to providing an interactive Web interface, customizable A-CAP map images and source data are
also accessible via specific Uniform Resource Locator strings (URLs) to a standard suite of Open Geospatial
Consortium (OGC) services: Web Map Service (WMS), Web Feature Service (WFS), and Web Coverage
Service (WCS). The international specifications of these services provide an interoperable framework for
sharing maps and geospatial data over the Internet, allowing A-CAP products to be easily exchanged with
other data centers worldwide and enabling remote access for users through OGC-compliant software
applications such as ArcGIS, Google Earth, ENVI, and many others.
A-CAP is built on MapServer, an Open Source development environment for building spatially-enabled
Internet applications. MapServer uses data sets that have been formatted as GeoTIFF or Shapefile to allow
rapid sub-setting and over-the-Web presentation of large geospatial data files, and has no requirement for a
user-installed client software package (besides a Web browser).
http://nsidc.org/agdc/acap/
IN33A-1164
The Polar Metadata Catalogue for the IPY Legacy
The International IPY Data Management Committee is working towards an IPY Master Directory that will provide a discovery portal for metadata in either the FGDC (Federal Geographic Data Committee) or GCMD (Global Change Master Directory) standard. This will, in time, evolve towards the international ISO standard for Metadata. In Canada, we have been developing a Metadata discovery portal for the ArcticNet program which is currently operational. This program includes scientists working in the natural, social and health sciences and, as such, addresses a wide range of issues associated with Metadata cataloguing within a multisdisciplinary program. With support form the Federal IPY Secretariat, this Metadata portal has been modified to address many of the needs of the Canadian IPY scientists. We are also working with the National Contaminants Program of Canada (Scott, anything more specific to identify this?) to provide a similar service for their data management issues. The system is evolving towards a 'Polar Metadata Catalogue' that will include flexibility to address the needs of scientists in a wide range of programs dealing with Polar science issues. In doing this, we will maintain interoperability with other Metadata catalogues to ensure a wide-ranging discovery experience for the scientists, no matter what the discipline, provide long term support of the information beyond the IPY sunset years, and provide information and tools for ongoing outreach and communications. In this paper we will describe the evolution of this portal and potential new directions for metadata and data archives.
IN33A-1165
The NSIDC DAAC's Role in Sustaining the IPY Data Legacy
NASA's Snow and Ice Distributed Active Archive Center at the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC DAAC) has been awarded a follow-on contract for the coming five years. The scope of this work is specific to NASA's Earth Observing Priorities but meshes well with International Polar Year needs. We will discuss the intended tasks for the NSIDC DAAC in relation to the needs for IPY data management, pointing out challenges to either the DAAC specifically or to the IPY community generally. The challenges to the NSIDC DAAC include better integration of our legacy data with our Earth Observing System (EOS) satellite mission data, and integration of our data and systems with the greater data management community and programs such as the IPY. We must continually improve the ways we describe and deliver our data to users, enhancing their ability to use it in innovative ways. Our approaches to meeting these objectives include: Adapting our data systems to the ever-changing user needs and technology landscape. Major thrusts include deriving gains in programmer and software engineer efficiency through greater standardization of software development processes; increasing use of subsetting to deliver larger quantities of data with available network bandwidth; standardizing metadata within the NSIDC DAAC and between our data center collaborators; harmonizing formats and spatial/temporal coverages for data and data types to enable more powerful visualization, online analysis and data integration. Implementing existing and new geophysical algorithms for cryospheric and polar processes including sea ice concentration and types, ice surface temperature, sea ice motion, ice sheet topography and ice volume change, surface albedo, snow extent, and snow water equivalent. Acquiring new data streams and developing new data products (including new data types and improved formats) to meet NASA and EOS science objectives for the cryosphere and polar regions.
IN33A-1166
JCADM, new directions in Antarctic data management
The Joint Committee on Antarctic Data Management (JCADM) was established by the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) and the Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs (COMNAP), to assist in the fulfilment of the data management obligations imposed by the Antarctic Treaty (section III.1.c): "Scientific observations and results from Antarctica shall be exchanged and made freely available." JCADM comprises representatives of the National Antarctic Data Centres or national points of contact. Currently 31 nations around the world are represented in JCADM. So far, JCADM has been focussing on the coordination of the Antarctic Master Directory (AMD), the internationally accessible, web-based, searchable record of Antarctic and Southern Ocean data set descriptions. The AMD is directly integrated into the international Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) to help further merge Antarctic science into global science. The AMD is a resource for scientists to advertise the data they have collected and to search for data they may need. Currently, JCADM is in a transition phase, moving forward to provide data access. Existing systems and web services technology will be used as much as possible, to increase efficiency and prevent 're-inventing the wheel' This poster will give an overview of this process, the current status and the expected results.
IN33A-1167
Arctic Observing Network Data Management: Current Capabilities and Their Promise for the Future
CADIS (the Cooperative Arctic Data and Information Service) serves as the data management, discovery and
delivery component of the Arctic Observing Network (AON). As an International Polar Year (IPY) initiative,
AON comprises 34 land, atmosphere and ocean observation sites, and will acquire much of the data coming
from the interagency Study of Environmental Arctic Change (SEARCH). CADIS is tasked with ensuring that
these observational data are managed for long term use by members of the entire Earth System Science
community.
Portions of CADIS are either in use by the community or available for testing. We now have an opportunity to
evaluate the feedback received from our users, to identify any design shortcomings, and to identify those
elements which serve their purpose well and will support future development.
This presentation will focus on the nuts-and-bolts of the CADIS development to date, with an eye towards
presenting lessons learned and best practices based on our experiences so far. The topics include:
- How did we assess our users' needs, and how are those contributions reflected in the end product and its
capabilities?
- Why did we develop a CADIS metadata profile, and how does it allow CADIS to support preservation and
scientific interoperability?
- How can we shield the user from metadata complexities (especially those associated with various standards)
while still obtaining the metadata needed to support an effective data management system?
- How can we bridge the gap between the data storage formats considered convenient by researchers in the
field, and those which are necessary to provide data interoperability?
- What challenges have been encountered in our efforts to provide access to federated data (data stored
outside of the CADIS system)?
- What are the data browsing and visualization needs of the AON community, and which tools and
technologies are most promising in terms of supporting those needs?
A live demonstration of the current capabilities of the CADIS system will be included as time and logistics
allow.
CADIS is a joint effort of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), the National Snow and
Ice Data Center (NSIDC), and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR).
http://www.eol.ucar.edu/projects/aon-cadis/
IN33A-1168 INVITED
Global Inter-agency IPY Polar Snapshot Year (GIIPSY): Goals and Accomplishment
Satellites have revolutionised our ability to observe polar processes. No other technology developed since
the International Geophysical Year (IGY) of 1957 provides the high-resolution, continental-scale, frequent-
repeat, and all-weather observations available from spaceborne sensors. The utility of such technology is
evidenced by related scientific advances including measurements of long term trends in polar sea ice cover
and extent, the realisation that the polar ice sheets can change dramatically on sub-decadal time scales, and
the quantification of relationships between processes at the poles and at mid and equatorial latitudes.
Large-scale coordinated experiments continue to be important for polar scientists seeking to understand the
role of polar processes in climate change, including for example the contribution of the polar ice sheet to sea
level, ice sheet-ocean interactions, and the dynamics of ice sheets and sea ice. Coordination is challenging
in part because of resource allocation issues and in part because space programmes are operated by a host
of national and international agencies. To overcome such challenges, and as part of the IGOS-Cryosphere
Theme implementation, GIIPSY has collected key requirements for planning of spaceborne and in-situ
observations of polar regions and polar processes during the International Polar Year 2007-2008. The
primary goal is to advance polar science by obtaining critical benchmarks for processes in the Arctic and
Antarctic and to set the stage for acquiring sustained observations beyond IPY. A second objective is to
coordinate polar observations with spaceborne and in-situ instruments and then make the resulting data and
derived products available to the science community.
To achieve these goals GIIPSY has developed a mechanism by which to plan and synchronise IPY satellite
acquisition requests. This was necessary 1) in order to receive approval from participating organisations for
support of the satellite observations; 2) to anticipate required volumes of IPY data; 3) to accomplish mission
planning; and 4) data processing and distribution demands. The first step towards goal was to establish an
inter-Agency Space Task Group (STG) within the Sub-Committee on Observations of the ICSU/WMO Joint
Committee for IPY. The STG convenes meetings of flight agency representatives, which together have
adopted the GIIPSY science community requirements. The STG is now focused on assembling IPY data
'portfolios' that attempt to address many of the GIIPSY science requirements. The STG has convened a
number of meetings of international flight agencies in 2007 and 2008, at which the acquisition, data
processing, and archiving plans for the IPY legacy data have been discussed.
This presentation will summarise the successes of the first year of IPY snapshots and the extent to which the
observation requirements are being met. Examples will be used to illustrate the progress towards achieving
key GIIPSY scientific objectives.
http://bprc.osu.edu/rsl/GIIPSY