Information Technology forOcean Observations and Climate Research
TYKKI Workshop, December 9-11, 1998, Tokyo, Japan
Nancy N. Soreide
NOAA
Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory
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
TAO as an example...
TAO as an example...
TAO as an example...
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.
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...
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
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
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-coads-tao.html
http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/~nns/noaaserver/coads-tao-raster.html
http://merlin/dwd/talks/mts98/unified_browse/
Next Generation NOAAServer
Next Generation NOAAServer
Next Generation NOAAServer
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
Other technology advances:
3D Visualization
and
Virtual Reality (VRML)
http://pmel.noaa.gov/home/visualization/visual.html
Data Portal / Visualization/Collaboration
Traditional users:ModelersForecastersResearchers
New users:EducatorsStudentsGeneral Public
Data & Data & Information UsersInformation Users
Distributed data Observed data Satellite data Data and information products Model outputsVisualizationUniform network accessUniform network access
WebBrowser
JavaApplication
User
Network
CORBA*
Client Support
Java Servlet
Graphics
One or more Web Servers
TAO data support
CORBA*
Data
Observing System Server
Data
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.
CORBA*
Network
Data ServerData Portal
WebBrowser
JavaApplication
User
Network
CORBA*
Client Support
Java Servlet
Graphics
One or more Web Servers
Drifter Data support
CORBA*
Data
TAO data support
CORBA*
Data
Observing System Servers
Satellite data support
CORBA*
Data
Satellite Data Servers
Model data support
CORBA*
Data
Model Output Servers
Data
Gridded data support
CORBA*
Data
Gridded Data ServersCommon 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.
CORBA*
Network
Data ServersData Portal
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
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
Climate Program Resource Allocation
Modeling and Forecasting
21%
Climate Observations
24%
Research46%
Data & Information
Dissemination9%
International Steering Committee
ITCC ITCC ITCC
ITCC CustomersProviders of Data & Information
Users of Data & Information
Observations&
Satellite Groups
Modeling&
ForecastingGroups
ResearchGroups
New Users Educational Administrators General Public
Information Technology Climate Center Structure
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