Transcript Earth Science/Geology/Geography/Hydrology

Earth Sciences Breakout Group Report
Two types of data requirements:
1. "time-series monitoring data" which requires realtime continuous collection (sea surface temperature,
stream gauges, wave height, seismic, climate, etc.)
2. long-period data sets to address questions
associated with "deep time" (paleomag, stratigrapy,
drill cores, fossil collections, etc.)
Earth Sciences Breakout Group Report
Education
•In all case when we talk about making data
accessible, we mean making it accessible both
physically and intellectually. Intellectually available
for the non-specialist, the non-scientists, students, and
educators.
•Specifically, we should include mechanisms for
transfer that include visualization and simulation and
that leverage existing initiatives such as DLESE and
others. Can not dump content, need to map into
standards.
Earth Sciences Breakout Group Report
Recognize cultural problems
•What needs to be done for maintaining a healthy data
foundation for the cyberinfrastructure (data
submission, archiving, developing metadata,
developing formats and common analytical tools, etc.)
is inconsistent with the traditional reward and
incentive system of the academic environment
(promotion and tenure process).
•Should consider developing citation policies not only
for data, but also common analytical tools
Earth Sciences Breakout Group Report
Maintaining the Content for CyberInfrastructure
Example of census data, value is that the Constitution requires
the US to take a census every 10 years. No similar requirement
for stream gauges, CO2, weather, seismic and other
environmental monitoring systems. It is undeniably the role of
the Federal Government to support the long-term operation and
maintenance of environmental monitoring systems, upon which
so many of our policies are based. Data (content) is the sine qua
non of cyberInfrastructure, yet there are no safeguards to
maintain these data. Need an environmental census program.
NSF should take the lead in ensuring that the monitoring systems
and data sets are maintained.
Earth Sciences Breakout Group Report
Sidebars
Include illustrations of cyberinfrastructure as an
enabling technology for the advancement of Earth
science research and education. In particular, showing
the importance of integration via cyberinfrastructure
in discovery of new processes.
Each illustration will include the value of data
collection and continuity, connectivity, networking,
processing, visualization, data mining and modeling,
plus connections among large facility programs (e.g.
EarthScope, NEES, Ocean Observatories, Chronos,
GEON, etc.)
Earth Sciences Breakout Group Report
We propose:
1. historical record: compile high-precision time scale
of Earth history to decipher geological processes and
increase the precision and understanding of current
time-scales by an order of magnitude
2. hydrological forecasts: show data retrieval,
exchange, visualization, and data mining from
heterogeneous data fields to improve hydrological
model calibrations and forecasting.
Earth Sciences Breakout Group Report
We propose:
3. Geography; integration of data sets for improved
environmental decision-making
4. Seismology: real-time data collection and
integration for short-term characterization of
earthquakes for modeling, response, early warning.