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ILWS and Data Services. D. G. Sibeck, Aaron Roberts NASA/GSFC Ray Walker UCLA. Topics for This Discussion. Motivation Why is this an ILWS topic? What do Researchers Need? Obstacles Solutions Action items. Motivation.
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ILWS and Data Services D. G. Sibeck, Aaron Roberts NASA/GSFC Ray Walker UCLA
Topics for This Discussion • Motivation • Why is this an ILWS topic? • What do Researchers Need? • Obstacles • Solutions • Action items
Motivation • Progress in space plasma physics frequently requires the correlative study of data sets from multiple instruments, spacecraft, simulations, and agencies. • End-to-end analyses- the type of study fostered by ILWS- invariably require such correlative studies
Why is this an ILWS Topic? • ILWS-type research requires observations and model output from multiple international sources. • Coordination can save time, effort, money, reveal simple solutions. • ILWS can commission a task group to look into the subject, get the broad view, and coordinate. • Benefits future missions/collaborations.
What do Researchers Need? • 1. Tools to search for and retrieve data. • 2. Services that enable surveys and data set comparisons (plotting and browsing). • 3. Tools that translate data formats and transform coordinates. • 4. Tools that enable model-data comparisons
Obstacles • Primarily a lack of coordination • multitude of incompatible efforts and data sets in a wide variety of locations, data systems, and formats • Recognition that altruism is the best policy • Funding focused on missions, rather than end-to-end studies • Top-down, rather than bottom-up, approach to providing services • Can result in services that are not user friendly, comprehensive, extendible, timely.
Proposed Solutions • 1. eGY • 2. Virtual Observatories • 3. SPASE
eGY is an initiative of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysicsled by the International Association of Geomagnetism and AeronomyeGY Executive Director: Dan Baker sponsored by: LASP, NASA, IUGG, IAGA
Role Facilitate, inform, stimulate, encourage, and promote: • Modern data access and services (“e-Science for Geoscience”) • Responsible data stewardship • Cooperation among bodies/initiatives to reduce duplication and proliferation of standards, and share expertise • Establishment of virtual observatories throughout the geosciences • Establishment of criteria to determine optimal and minimum funding for data activities supporting research eGY also serves to provide a link between programs with related data and information requirements - IPY, IHY, Planet Earth, and initiatives such as GEOSS. eGY will be launched July 7 Perrugia IUGG Congress
2. Virtual Observatories A Virtual Observatory (VO) is a service that unites distributed data repositories and service providers to allow users to uniformly find, access and use resources (data, software, documents, images and services). A VO requires data set/tool registration, description, and query tools
Some National Efforts • CDPP France Interball, DEMETER, Cluster, GEOS, Viking.. • NGDC/SPIDR NOAA/SC, ground observations • DARTS Japan Geotail • NSSDC/SPDF Heliospheric, L1, magnetospheric services • Mission level services Cluster, Yohkoh, ACE, TIMED…
ResidentArchive VxO Individual Researcher VxO A Virtual Observatory Connects Distributed Resources
Early Heliophysics VOs (starting ~2001) • VSO (Virtual Solar Observatory; http://virtualsolar.org) • Delivers solar physics images, spectra, etc. as FITS files or thumbnails; covers most solar physics products • Recently added browse movies, searching by event lists, a shopping cart, and other features • VSPO (Virtual Space Physics Observatory; http://vspo.gsfc.nasa.gov) • Access a wide variety of space and solar physics products, including links to other Virtual Observatories and data from over 100 observatories/spacecraft • EGSO (European Grid of Solar Observations; to become “HELIO”; EU/ESA) • Emphasizes catalogued events and features to constrain searches • Was solar initially, but now expanding to all of HP
Newer NASA HP VxOs • VHO (Heliosphere; GSFC) • Has a prototype that delivers some data and allows multiple query types; working on data descriptions, and collaborating with VMO-G to enhance middleware. • VITMO (Ionosphere, Thermosphere, Mesosphere; APL) • Existing prototype delivers data based on parameter- and event-based searches; will incorporate a coincidence tool to aid searches. • VMO (Magnetosphere; GSFC and UCLA) • Developing many SPASE descriptions as well as useful registry tools and middleware. • ViRBO (Radiation Belts; GMU) • Currently ingesting datasets and developing data descriptions and a web portal; planning a strong connection to models
Some Related Heliophysics VOs • GAIA (Global Auroral Imaging and Access; Canada) • Integrates all-sky camera data from around the world; serves increasing amounts and variety of ground-based HP data • VSTO (Virtual Solar-Terrestrial Observatory; NSF/NCAR) • Portal for CEDAR (ground-based) data; also MLSO (solar); broad charter. • Based on ontologies and related tools. • STARS (Solar-Terrestrial data Analysis and Reference System; Japan) • Builds on the DARTS system; currently PC (Windows) based. See: http://hpde.gsfc.nasa.gov for more documents, links, and details.
3. SPACE: Metadata and Data Models • Uniform access requires uniform metadata description: i.e. a “data model” or “ontology” • Metadata about the data, written in a uniform language (e.g., “SPASE”) is essential • SPASE is providing the data model for NASA HP VOs; translators may be needed for interoperability • See http://www.spase-group.org
Ongoing Efforts • 1. eGY --> advocating good citizenship • 2. VxOs --> components of a comprehensive system • 3. SPASE --> the words we need to describe data sets and services • A good start
ILWS Action Items • Endorse eGY efforts (costs nothing and will encourage these enthusiasts/advocates). • Endorse open and rapid data sharing policy • Consider providing incentives for researchers to share data • Commission a task group to: • Survey what is and what isn’t available, recommend solutions • Describe utility of existing services • Identify potential partnerships and existing resources • Communicate ongoing activities, solutions, opportunities • Establish key links to data sets and services on our ILWS WWW pages