Information Technology for Ocean Observations and Climate Research

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Information Technology forOcean Observations and
Climate Research
TYKKI Workshop, December 9-11, 1998, Tokyo, Japan

• Nancy N. Soreide
• NOAA
• Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory

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Vision

• Societal benefits through climate studies and
  improved climate prediction
• Investing in observations, satellites, models,
  research
• Investments in Information Technology
• Remove restrictions of the past
• Build a pipeline to the future
• Maximize the return on investments

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TAO as an example...
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TAO as an example...
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TAO as an example...
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TRITON/TAO

• TAO/TRITON data integration
• Mechanism for data intercomparisons
• Web pages for seamless delivery of integrated
• Improved delivery of TRITON/TAO data
• User defined plotting options
• Sophisticated Web component
• JavaScript and Java Servlets
• Highly interactive, all-Java application
• Collaborative PMEL/JAMSTEC effort

A Servlet is a Java application that runs in
conjunction with a web server. Java Servlet
technology has built-in functionality that makes
it a good server technology, with faster
response time, better performance, and
reliability.
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TAO

• TAO set a standard in the climate community
• Data dissemination in initial project planning
• Researcher involvement has assured data quality
• Benefits of data dissemination
• Wide use of TAO data
• Traditional research, modeling, forecasting
  groups
• Over 200 refereed publications in past 5 years
• Related disciplines, educational, administrative,
  public
• With recent advances in technology, we can do
  much more...

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How can Information Technology benefit Climate
Programs?

• Data Access
• Centralized, uniform, consistent access to
  geographically distributed data in a common data
  format
• Realtime data
• Satellite data
• Model outputs
• Data information products
• Data Portal
• A doorway to climate data

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The Data Portal a doorway to climate data

• Why do we need a Data Portal?
• Each Project Office provides a highly customized
  Web sites for their data
• but different datasets have different navigation
  and interface characteristics
• so the user faces a bewildering spectrum of data
  access interfaces and locations
• Data Portal is single, uniform, consistent
  doorway to to climate data in a common format
• User goes to a single location and sees a
  consistent interface
• Complements the customized data access

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How do we build a Data Portal?

• Build on a proven prototype
• Next Generation NOAAServer software
• connects 5 geographically distributed data
  servers in Silver Spring, Boulder, Seattle
• CORBA for network connections
• unified interactive Java graphics
• data from distributed servers are co-plotted
  together on the same axis on the users desktop
• Atmospheric and oceanic profiles, time series,
  ADCP data, global gridded data
• http//www.pmel.noaa.gov/nns/noaaserver/nodc-coad
  s-tao.html
• http//www.pmel.noaa.gov/nns/noaaserver/coads-tao
  -raster.html
• http//merlin/dwd/talks/mts98/unified_browse/

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Next Generation NOAAServer
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Next Generation NOAAServer
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Next Generation NOAAServer
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Other technology advances

• Networks (100 Megabits/sec)
• Next Generation Internet (NGI) and Internet 2
• Visualization
• 3D
• Virtual reality
• Immersion technology
• Collaboration tools
• advanced high-speed telecommunications systems
  for collaboration applications
• tele-immersion systems allow individuals at
  different locations to share a single virtual
  environment
• Use networks not airplanes

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Other technology advances
3D Visualization and Virtual Reality (VRML)
http//pmel.noaa.gov/home/visualization/visual.htm
l
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Data Portal / Visualization/Collaboration
Distributed data Observed data Satellite
data Data and information products
Model outputs Visualization
Data Information Users
Traditional users Modelers Forecasters Researcher
s New users Educators Students General Public
Uniform network access
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Data Portal
Data Server
One or more Web Servers
User
Observing System Server
CORBA
TAO data support
Data
Web Browser
Java Servlet
Client Support
Network
Network
Graphics
CORBA
Java Application
CORBA
Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA)
is an industry standard Middleware. CORBA is
used in the NOAAServer software from which this
effort will leverage. Based on performance
indicators, Java Remote Method Invocation (RMI),
an alternative middleware, could easily be
substituted for CORBA.
Data
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Data Portal
Data Servers
One or more Web Servers
User
Observing System Servers
CORBA
TAO data support
Data
Web Browser
Java Servlet
CORBA
Client Support
Network
Network
Drifter Data support
Data
Graphics
CORBA
Satellite Data Servers
CORBA
Java Application
Satellite data support
Data
Model Output Servers
CORBA
CORBA
Model data support
Data
Gridded Data Servers
CORBA
Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA)
is an industry standard Middleware. CORBA is
used in the NOAAServer software from which this
effort will leverage. Based on performance
indicators, Java Remote Method Invocation (RMI),
an alternative middleware, could easily be
substituted for CORBA.
Gridded data support
Data
Data
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Information Technology Climate Centers (ITCCs)

• Focal point for utilization of Information
  Technology for the advancement of climate
  programs
• Provide technical software/hardware support
• Data Portal
• Unified, central access to distributed data
  servers
• Observing system data, model outputs, satellite
  data, data information products
• Visualization
• 3d, virtual reality, immersion technology
• Collaboration tools
• use networks not airplanes

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Typical ITCC requirements

• Facility or building
• Data Portal
• Computer and networking hardware and software
• Increased network bandwidth/speed
• Next Generation Internet (NGI) connection
• Visualization
• 3D, Virtual Reality, collaborative virtual
  environments
• SGI workstations, CAVE, ImmersaDesk...
• Personnel
• Relationships
• Observing System Project Offices
• Research community, academia...
• other ITCC nodes
• Steering Committee

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Climate Program Resource Allocation
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Information Technology Climate Center Structure
International Steering Committee
ITCC
ITCC
ITCC
ITCC Customers Providers of Data
Information Users of Data Information
Observations Satellite Groups
Modeling Forecasting Groups
Research Groups
New Users Educational Administrators
General Public