SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
The UARC/SPARC Experience:1993 - 2002
Peter A. Knoop, Dan Atkins, Gary Olson, Tom Finholt, Joseph, Hardin, Terry Weymouth, Farnam Jahanian, Atul Prakash, Bob
Clauer, Tim Killeen
School of Information and Department of Geological SciencesUniversity of Michigan
SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
Aurora image
SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
The Community
Space physicists Concentrated in N. America and Europe
(approx. 300 researchers) Affiliated with the American
Geophysical Union– space physics and aeronomy sub-division
SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
Description: System Goals
– Real-time remote control of instruments– Access to archival and real time data– Communication with remote colleagues
Evolution– Organized campaigns– Impromptu campaigns and monitoring
SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
Description: History
UARC v.5 (pre-web era)– NeXTstep-based system, 1992-97
UARC v.6– java applet-based system, 1996-98
SPARC– Web-based, thin client system, 1999 -
present
SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
UARC 5.0 interface
SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
UARC 6.0 interface
SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
Early SPARC interface
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Current SPARC Interface
Live demo! http://sparc-1.si.umich.edu/sparc/central
SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
Description: Funding
UARC (IRI 9216848)– cooperative agreement between Michigan
and NSF CISE & ATM– approximately $800 K per year, 1992-97
SPARC (ATM 9873025)– KDI award from NSF CISE– approximately $500 K per year, 1997-01
SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
Description: Organization 14 investigators
– 3 computer science– 2 human-computer interaction– 9 space physics
15 students– 6 computer science– 6 human-computer interaction– 3 space physics
8 staff– 7 programmers– 1 system administrator
SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
Description: Incentives Funding
– scientists recruited through sub-contracts Recognition
– innovative system– highly visible to space science and computer
science communities Novel capabilities
– new ways of combining data– respond to opportunities (e.g., UCB sounding
rocket campaign)
SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
Data Sources and Characteristics
Observational and model Real-time and archival; dirty vs. clean Web-scrapping into flat files Access to community databases (e.g.,
CEDAR, CDAW)
SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
Access: Instruments
Observational– ground-based
• active– incoherent scatter radar (e.g., convection reversal
boundaries)– all-sky cameras (e.g., auroral morphology)– interferometry (e.g., winds)
• passive– riometry– magnetometer chains
SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
Access: Instruments (cont.)
Observational– space-based
• satellite imagery (UV and visible light)• shuttle imagery• sounding rockets
Theoretical– computational simulations
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Sondrestrom observatorySondrestrom, Greenland
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Instrument scope, 1993
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Instrument scope, 2001
SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
Technology involved 1992-97
– UARC v.5 built on NeXT machines, migrated to NeXTstep OS
1996-98– UARC v.6 built as java applets (MURAL), Web-
based 1998 to present
– SPARC built as thin client (e.g., HTTP), migrating toward CHEF-based system (e.g., portlet technology)
SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
Success and challenges Scientific
– first simultaneous real-time display of incoherent scatter radar chain (April, 1998)
– first combined real-time simulation and observation campaign (April, 1997)
– first archival campaign (December, 1993) Educational
– first student campaign (February, 1995) Future
– model for dozens of collaboratory efforts
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ISR Radar Chain
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Simulation and observational data
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Social network 2/95 campaign
Michigan
Scientist
Scientist
Student
Scientist
No one
Scientist
FloridaCalifornia B
California A
StudentSite crew
Greenland
Scientist
Engineer
SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
Total sessions per year
Arrival of web Internet usage
209
739
322
117
33
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
1993 1994 1995 1996 1997
Year
To
tal n
um
be
r o
f s
es
sio
ns
SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
Use of SPARC, 1999-2000
Date
14-APR-2000
24-MAR-2000
03-MAR-2000
11-FEB-2000
21-JAN-2000
31-DEC-1999
10-DEC-1999
19-NOV-1999
29-OCT-1999
08-OCT-1999
Nu
mb
er
of
scie
ntif
ic s
ess
ion
s30
20
10
0
SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
Simultaneous scientific useSeptember 22, 1999 - May 2, 2000
Date
19-APR-2000
29-MAR-2000
08-MAR-2000
16-FEB-2000
26-JAN-2000
05-JAN-2000
15-DEC-1999
24-NOV-1999
03-NOV-1999
13-OCT-1999
22-SEP-1999
Ho
urs
of
sim
ulta
ne
ou
s u
se
24
18
12
6
0
Y2K shutdown
Missing data
Fire in server building
SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
Date
19-APR-2000
29-MAR-2000
08-MAR-2000
16-FEB-2000
26-JAN-2000
05-JAN-2000
15-DEC-1999
24-NOV-1999
03-NOV-1999
13-OCT-1999
22-SEP-1999
Ho
urs
of
colla
bo
rativ
e u
se
24
18
12
6
0
Simultaneous scientific use with chatSeptember 22, 1999 - May 2, 2000
LTCS campaign Geophysical world days
Radar campaign
Workshop
SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
Shift in Usage Patterns
Campaigns Real-time monitoring Archival data access
– Island Community Networks (meta-data standards, XML, and Z39.50)
SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
Key findings, 2001 Some use of data intensive websites;
concentrated with core users No predominant community web or data
sites Scientists do not read core space
science journals on-line Low use of collaboration technologies
– Data conferencing– Videoconferencing
SCHOOL OF INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
For more information…
http://www.si.umich.edu/SPARC http://chefproject.org http://scienceofcollaboratories.org [email protected]
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