Arctic Applications achievable through Information Technology

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Arctic Applications achievable through
Information Technology

• combining the interests of the scientific
  community with those of the computer science
  and engineering community to create integrated,
  tool-oriented computing and communication
  systems
• National Research Council

Nancy N. Soreide, NOAA/PMEL http//www.epic.noaa.g
ov/talks/nns/arctic
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NOAA Strategic Plan

• Successful, theme-based web pages support
  NOAAs mission strategy
• Engage, advise, and inform individuals,
  partners, communities, and industries to
  facilitate information flow, assure coordination
  and cooperation, and provide assistance in the
  use, evaluation, and application of information
  
• Websites that present NOAA science, data,
  analysis and information in a manner that is
  clear, scientifically validated, useful,
  interesting and intelligible by a broad audience
  support NOAA in promoting the
• increased use and effectiveness of climate
  information for decision makers and managers

NOAA Strategic Plan for FY2003 FY2008 and
Beyond http//www.osp.noaa.gov/docs/NOAA_Final_Str
ategic_Plan_March31st.pdf
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Data Quality Act

• Congress has directed OMB to issue
  government-wide guidelines for
• ensuring and maximizing the quality,
  objectivity, utility, and integrity of
  information disseminated by Federal agencies "

Section 515(a) of the Treasury and General
Government Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2001
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Todays Applications

• NOAA Arctic Theme Page
• Providing Arctic information to scientists,
  managers and the public
• Multivariate, multi-disciplinary datasets
• NOAA Virtual Arctic Laboratory

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Communicating Arctic change information
The Arctic Theme Page A Comprehensive
Resource http//www.arctic.noaa.gov
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Comprehensive Information Resource

• Photographs
• Maps
• Animals
• Ships
• Northern Lights
• Exploration
• Data
• Climate indices

• Educational links
• Lesson Plans
• Environment
• Pollution
• Archaeology
• Native Peoples
• Forecasts
• Climate programs

The Arctic Theme Page http//www.arctic.noaa.gov
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Expert Essays on key Arctic issues

• How do scientists study climate change? Nick Bond
• Are environmental changes impacting Alaska
  Natives? Caleb Pungowiyi
• UVB radiation Threat to the Arctic? Betsy
  Weatherhead
• How does Arctic sea ice form and decay? Peter
  Wadhams
• How has sea ice volume changed? Norbert
  Untersteiner
• Is sea level affected by changes in Arctic land
  ice? Roger Barry
• What long term trends are seen in the Arctic
  atmosphere? John Walsh
• Is mercury a significant contaminant? Steve
  Lindberg/Steve Brooks
• What organisms thrive in Arctic sea ice?
  Christopher Krebs/Jody Deming
• Is there life on the Arctic sea floor? Peter Vogt
• Arctic Wolves and their prey David Mech
• Whats happening to Polar Bears? Scott Schliebe

The Arctic Theme Page http//www.arctic.noaa.gov
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Multivariate Arctic datasets

• Climate Indices
• Atmosphere
• Ocean
• Sea Ice
• Terrestrial
• Biology
• Fisheries

http//www.unaami.noaa.gov
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NOAA Virtual Arctic Laboratory

• Mission
• Issues/relevance
• Science
• Unique capabilities
• Ships/Aircraft
• Satellites
• Observations
• Data Centers
• Undersea Centers
• Outreach
• Partnerships
• Data

http//asl.arctic.noaa.gov
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Tomorrows Applications

• Distributed Data Access
• Centralized, uniform, consistent access to
  geographically distributed Arctic Observing
  System data and products in a common data format
• Web Services
• Machine access to data from Arctic Observing
  Systems
• Automated data assimilation into models
• Collaboratories
• Full collaborative sharing of applications over
  the Internet
• Scientists use networks not airplanes for
  collaboration

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Distributed Data Access
Data Servers
Observing System Servers
OPeNDAP
Observing System data support
Data
User
OPeNDAP
Observing System data support
Data
Web Browser
Satellite Data Servers
Network
OPeNDAP
Java Servlet
Satellite data support
Data
OPeNDAP
Desktop Java Client
Model Output Servers
OPeNDAP
Model data support
Data
OPeNDAP
Gridded Data Servers
OPeNDAP
Gridded data support
Data
OpeNDAP is software for accessing data across
the Internet.
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Distributed Data Access
Integrated view of data from 3 sources
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What is a Web Service?Web Services are NOT
related to the Web!

• Web Services
• Support machine-to-machine data requests
• Published by data holders
• Discovered and invoked by data users (computer
  programs)
• Requesting program specifies data subset and
  variable desired
• Based on W3C standards
• XML/Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP)
• Uniform Description, Discovery and Integration
  (UDDI),
• Web Service Descriptive Language (WSDL)
• HTTP
• Microsoft, IBM, Sun Microsystems, etc.
• Used in commercial applications
• Emerging use for scientific applications

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What is a Collaboratory?
The fusion of computers and electronic
communications has the potential to dramatically
enhance the output and productivity of U. S.
researchers combining the interests of the
scientific community with those of the
computer science and engineering community to
create integrated, tool-oriented computing and
communication systems to support scientific
collaboration called "collaboratories."
National Collaboratories - Applying
Information Technology for Scientific Research,
Committee on a National Collaboratory, National
Research Council. National Academy Press,
Washington, D. C., 1993.
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OceanShareNetwork collaboration tool

• All network collaborators see the same computer
  display
• Any participant can add data to a plot, mark a
  plot, log a comment
• Promotes unlimited, spontaneous data exploration
  and discussion leading to fruitful scientific
  collaboration
• Collaboration features
• Local, remote data file access and Java graphics
• Standard collaboration tool features (annotation,
  whiteboard, etc)
• Secure LDAP Document Repository
• Proposals, papers in progress, data, images
• Access control by document or by folder
• Accessible from web and desktop

http//www.epic.noaa.gov/collab/
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Change Detection System
APPLICATION
PROCESS
INPUTS
Display
MonitorReportsDecisions
Prior Knowledge
PatternIdentification
PreprocessedData
Data Archives
New Data
Toolbox
Data QueryStatistics
ModelsVisualizationPresentation
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Summary

• Information technology is the bridge from data to
  science to applications
• Integrated view of Arctic Observing System,
  models and derived products
• From a single website
• For machine-to-machine access
• Collaboratory to support climate research
• Credible information for the global change and
  management communities