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NERC Data Grid. Helen Snaith and the NDG consortium …. What is NDG?. NDG provides the infrastructure which allows users to Find data Explore what is known about datasets (including information about the observing or simulating tools) Access, manipulate and visualise data!. NDG Services.
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NERC Data Grid Helen Snaithand the NDG consortium…
What is NDG? • NDG provides the infrastructure which allows users to • Find data • Explore what is known about datasets (including information about the observing or simulating tools) • Access, manipulate and visualise data!
NDG Services • The “NDG Discovery Service” • A database of discovery information • A web-site, to provide a portal to that database • A set of web-services, allowing NDG consumers to exploit that database • The “NDG Vocabulary Service” • Databases of environmental thesauri and ontology tools to map between terms • Supports “machine assisted” browsing: eg, search for rainfall and find datasets with precipitation
What Can NERC Data Grid Do For You? • Depends on who you are! • Data User - eg scientist looking for data • Data Provider - eg data centre, large research group • Developer - providing access tools or using data sources
As a Data User? • Discovery leads directly to data • Simple search page or “google-like” toolbar gives direct access to data, not just the metadata • Comprehensive coverage • Seamless access • Hides data format differences and provides generic visualisation tools • Enhances interdisciplinary research
As a Data Provider? NDG Security • Provides a standards based metadata hierarchy • Exploit the NDG metadata structures to design a metadata system from the ground up, or use them as an interoperability tool • No need to run multiple security systems • Increases visibility and usage of datasets • Inclusion in NDG does not prevent inclusion in other data discovery or access initiatives • Minimise user support load
As a Developer? • Exploit NDG web services • Exploit NDG modular development • Exploit NDG metadata standards • NDG developments are non-proprietary • NDG standards compliance implies less future development
MetaData Framework • Discovery • ISO standard • MOLES - Metadata Objects for Links in Environmental Science • Detailed metadata for browsing • CSML – Climate Science Markup Language • For accessing “features” within data
What Can’t the NDG Do? • NDG can’t generate the metadata! • Automated manipulation and searching relies on comprehensive metadata, which require quality data management to create and maintain • NDG does provide a clear framework for metadata requirements • NDG doesn’t provide information services:- it provides data services! • NDG does provide a framework within which it is possible to link data to derived information services:- research publications, reports, policy etc..
Competitors!How is NDG different from the rest? • e2edm, End-to-End Data Management: • Similar aims but using different technologies • NDG is more standards compliant • Thredds: • Provides only catalogue services • Thredds is significantly more mature than NDG • Suitable for data providers with hierarchical data / metadata • OPeNDAP: • A protocol for accessing data • Limited support for access control • Requires the user to know exactly what the data are
NDG Status • Approaching Beta • Discovery Gateway • Discovery Service • CSML V2 • MOLES • Security Infrastructure • Vocabulary Service • MOLES browser • Population (MOLES & CSML) by NDG partners • Implementing & testing gateways, browsers & interfaces ndg.nerc.ac.uk Trac wiki site