ADM-10/26/20051

Architecture and Data Management for the

U.S. Integrated Earth Observation System(IEOS)

First Steps

Kathy Fontaine, NASAUSGEO ADM Vice Chair

ESIP Federation Winter MeetingWashington, DCJanuary 4, 2006

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• Background and Context• More detail on the Integrated Earth Observation

System• Architecture and Data Management first steps• Ways to be involved• Next steps

Topics

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International Context

GEOSS will be:• comprehensive, by including observations and products gathered from all components required to serve the needs of participating members;• coordinated, in terms of leveraging resources of individual contributing members to accomplish this system, whose total capacity is greater than the sum of its parts;• sustained, by the collective and individual will and capacity of participating members.

GEOSS will build step-by-step on current cooperation efforts among

existing observing and processing systems within their mandates,

while encouraging and accommodating new components.

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National Context

National Scienceand Technology Council

ScienceCommittee

Environment & NaturalResources Committee

Homeland & NationalSecurity Committee

TechnologyCommittee

Subcommittee on Global Change Research

Ecological SystemsSubcommittee

Subcommittee onDisaster

Reduction

Subcommittee onWater Availability &

Quality

Air Quality ResearchSubcommittee

Toxics & Risk AssessmentSubcommittee

Subcommittee on Oceans(also reports to Committee on Science)

US Group onEarth Observations (USGEO)

Subcommittee on Healthand the Environment

(also reports to Committee on Science and Commission onHomeland and National Security

Biodiversity and EcosystemInformatics Working Group

Interagency Working Group onEndocrine Disruptors

Interagency Working Group onMercury

The US GEO Comprises Federal Representatives

from 15 Member Agencies and three White House

Offices

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USGEO

Science & Technology

Capacity Building & Outreach

User Interface Architecture & Data Mgmt.

Executive CommitteeCo-chairsExecutive SecretaryWorking Group Leaders

Planning and Integration

Disaster Global Land Sea Level Drought Air Quality

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USGEO Subcommittee Structure

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Relationship to Other CENR Entities

USGEO

Science & Technology

Capacity Building & Outreach

User Interface Architecture & Data Mgmt.

Executive CommitteeCo-chairsExecutive SecretaryWorking Group Leaders

Planning and Integration

Disaster Global Land Sea Level Drought Air Quality

US

GE

OW

orki

ng

Gro

ups

NT

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ask

For

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CE

NR

Sub

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ees Global Change Research

Ecological Systems

Disaster Reduction

Water Availability & Quality

Air Quality & Research

OceansHealth & the Environment

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U.S. Integrated Earth Observation System (IEOS)

IEOS Vision: Enable a healthy public, economy, and planet through an integrated, comprehensive, and sustained Earth observation system.

From a Regional View To a Global Analysis

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• Facilitate the sharing & applied usage of:

– Global, regional, and local data – Data from satellites, ocean buoys,

weather stations and other surface and airborne Earth observing instruments and predictive models

• Expected Outcomes:– Users accessing an unprecedented

amount of environmental information – Data integrated into new information

products that can support decisions and benefit societies and economies worldwide.

What will IEOS do?

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Architecture and Data Management1 of 6 Near Term Opportunities (NTO)

Identified for IEOS

Near-Term Opportunity IEOS Integration Frameworks

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What are the goals for the Architecture and Data Management

of IEOS?

• Enable increased interoperability across existing data management systems

• Identify and address integration gaps in data management systems

• Utilize community standards for data and metadata

• Enable integrated measurements, data, products, and predictive models

• Examine the need for future data management requirements

Starting with Near Term Opportunities and expanding to all IEOS data management systems, Architecture & Data Management seeks to:

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We currently have hundreds of separate, but individually efficient, data management systems across agencies

Architecture and Data ManagementWhy Focus on Integration?

• The opportunity is to smooth the way for transfer of data across the wide variety of:

• Systems• Disciplines• Formats• Technologies• Dissemination methods• And more

• Also an opportunity to leverage the existing cutting-edge technologies within systems such as OPeNDAP, THREDDS, the GeoSpatial One-Stop, and others.

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Architecture and Data ManagementWhy Focus on Integration?

We need cross-agency Enterprise Architecture & Integrated Data Management for IEOS to achieve or enable:

• Federal Agency coordination of strategies and observation systems• Interoperability/integration among data systems • Linkages: ground-based, aircraft, satellite platforms• Innovative approaches to information and knowledge management across agencies• Standards/protocols for data and metadata • Robust IEOS information security across systems• Conformity to law and policy including OMB Circular A-16, Federal Enterprise Architecture (FEA), Data Quality Act & OMB's Information Quality Guidelines

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• Rapid, timely integration of data, products and predictive models among systems helps first responders.

• Leveraged data management activities across all Federal Agencies improves accountability and efficiencies.

• Ease of use of data between and among Agencies advances regional and global understanding.

• Increased efficiency needed to handle the exponential increase in data volumes that will occur over the next decade.

• Increased opportunities for interdisciplinary work.

Societal Benefits

• Improve Weather Forecasting

• Reduce Loss of Life and Property from Disasters

• Protect and Monitor our Ocean Resources

• Understand, Assess, Predict, Mitigate and Adapt to Climate Variability and Change

• Support Sustainable Agriculture and Combat Land Degradation

• Understand the Effect of Environmental Factors on Human Health & Well Being

• Develop the Capacity to Make Ecological Forecasts

• Protect and Monitor Water Resources

• Monitor and Manage Energy Resources

Architecture and Data ManagementThe Results and Benefits

Improved decision makers’ abilities to address policy and societal benefit issues

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Architecture and Data ManagementHow Do We Get There?

– Makes use of and builds upon existing systems to the extent possible

– Identifies gaps that can be filled quickly with existing or planned agency efforts

– Interfaces capabilities through interoperability specifications

– Preserves continuity of observations

To achieve the Near-Term Opportunities identified in the Strategic Plan for a US Integrated Earth Observation System there must be an integrated approach to architecture and data management that:

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Architecture and Data ManagementSchematic View: Linking Earth

Observations to Societal Benefits

Models play an increasingly important role in all areas of this graphic

Earth System ModelsWeatherClimateAtmosphereOthers…

Earth Observation SystemsRemotely-sensedIn situ

Decision Support

On-going feedback to optimizevalue and reduce gaps

Policy Decisions

ManagementDecisions

PersonalDecisions

SocietalBenefits

DATA

Predictions

Observations

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• Everyone has a role to play– Some players can

only provide some pieces

– All are encouraged to provide what they can

Architecture and Data ManagementThe Solution – Involves All Stakeholders

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• Use appropriate technologies and methodologies to achieve interoperability, including– Service-oriented architectures– Federal Enterprise Architectures– Industry best practices– Government plans and existing projects

• Clearly identify the systems from which to build

• Provide a thoughtful spending plan that includes government and private sector contributions

Architecture and Data ManagementThe Solution – Includes Various Approaches

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• Create portals for use by other NTOs

• Understand the importance of modeling in the overall architecture– Long-term data preservation is critical for model

development, assessment, reanalysis, etc.– Archives should be seen as the midpoint of this

architecture, rather than an endpoint.

Architecture and Data ManagementThe Solution – Includes Various Approaches

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• Thematic Realtime Environmental Distributed Data Services: THREDDS • Web Coverage Service: WCS • Geospatial One Stop• Global Change Master Directory: GCMD • National Model Archive and Distribution System: NOMADS • NSF Cyberinfrastructure initiative - Teragrid• Meteorological Assimilation Data Ingest System: MADIS• Comprehensive Large-Array data Stewardship System: CLASS• EOS Clearinghouse: ECHO• Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS)/ Data Management and

Communications (DMAC)• And many, many others

Architecture and Data ManagementExisting Elements for Leverage

Cutting Edge Information & Knowledge Management(Several Examples)

Currently used within, but generally not across, data management systems

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IEOS Roadmap for SuccessIntegrated Observations & Data Management

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For Further Information:

US Group on Earth Observations

http://iwgeo.ssc.nasa.govhttp://earthobservations.org

http://www.strategies.org/Alliance/News.htmEosdis-evolution.gsfc.nasa.gov