CyAir Briefing

Terry KeatingTim Dye1 and Stefan Falke2

Steve Ludewig1,Uma Shankar3, Shawn McClure4, Glynis Lough5

1Sonoma Technology, Inc., 2Northrop Grumman, 3University of North Carolina, 4Colorado State University, and

5Battelle Memorial Institute

Office of Air Quality Planning and StandardsU.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Research Triangle Park, NCOctober 6, 2010

3992

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Introduction – CyAir Effort

• CyAir is a project to contribute to the planning, development, maintenance and coordination of systems to help the air quality community better utilize air quality information. 

• Funded by EPA’s Office of the Science Advisor through the Advanced Monitoring Initiative under EPA GEO

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Introduction – Data Summit Effort (2008)

• Method– Air quality, U.S.-focused– 2-day meeting– 87 people (47 from EPA)– Assessment report

• Findings– Need a plan/roadmap– Sustained, multi-year efforts– Connect with other efforts

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Introduction – GEOSS Effort

• Method– Build a Global Earth Observation System of

Systems (GEOSS) (2005-2015)– Group on Earth Observations (GEO) is

coordinating efforts to build GEOSS

• Resources– Developing standards– Creating components– Building community

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Introduction – CyAir Effort

• Method – Identify gaps/problems– Develop a plan– Build out AQ Cyberinfrastructure

• Initial CyAir effort– Input from community– Identify gaps in infrastructure based on

envisioned layout and guiding principles– Generate recommendations

Focus Areas• AQ Forecasting and Public

Information • AQ Trends and Events Analysis • AQ Model Evaluation • Emissions Inventory

Development and Evaluation

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CyAir Methods

• Community input– Interviewed Data Providers (59 people)– Interviewed Data Users (48 people)

• Input from other efforts– Reviewed past cyberinfrasructure

assessment efforts– Consulted with government technology

experts

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CyAir Methods – Community Input

Data Providers Data Users

Organization Count

EPA 15

NOAA 5

NASA 3

Other 6

Affiliation Count

State 4

University 5

Federal 5

Consulting 6

Industry 2

RPO 2

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CyAir Methods – Input from Other Efforts

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CyAir Findings

• Data access is not easy

• “too many user interfaces require knowledge of databases/coding and have limited help available”

• “too many one-off systems”

• “data archives are bulky, they take a lot of time and knowledge to access them”

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CyAir Findings

• No coordinated plan to achieve interoperability

• “not enough time to plan since things are always changing”

• “lack of conventions/standards is a major barrier to sharing more data more broadly.”

• “we need guidance on approach; it needs to be good, practical, easy”

• “worried about interoperability burnout”

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CyAir Findings

• Funding • “data sharing activities get second priority”• “difficult to transition projects to long-term

operational, sustainable programs”• “will it be reliable and around for the future”

• Coordination • “lots of efforts, not well organized within and

outside EPA”

• Lack of understanding• “too many terms and a lack of clarity”• “changing landscape and terminology”

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How Can We Make It Better?

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Usage.  It’s easy to learn about, acquire, and use data, related metadata and analysis tools from many different data centers.  It's easy to participate in the community infrastructure. A suite of accepted standards, methods, guidelines, code samples and utilities exist to facilitate sharing and using data/information.  Conventions and best practices for commonly used data exchange standards exist to meet the needs of the air quality community.

Community.  A shared understanding exists within the community regarding the path to implement data sharing, methods to acquire and use data, and the benefits of participating in the community.  There is an ongoing focus on education and outreach to raise awareness of these benefits.  The community is buffered from rapid technology shifts and changes in organizational policy.

Organizational.  Agencies align funding requirements and incentives to support infrastructure development in the short term, and to promote data exchange, increase data usage by the community, and maintain the viability of the infrastructure in the long term.  Organizational policies and procedures that inhibit data exchange are minimized or removed. A governance model exists allowing funding organizations and data providers to steer the implementation and operation of the Air Quality Cyberinfrastructure. The governance seeks community input with a focus on action, implementation, and long-term viability of the infrastructure.

Aligned with Principles of GEOSS. Utilize the methods, protocols, and systems developed as part of GEOSS.

CyAir Guiding Principles

It’s easy

Conventions and best practices

A shared understanding exists

It’s easy

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CyAir Recommendations

8 major recommendations, including:• Development (1-time effort)• Operations & maintenance (ongoing)

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CyAir Recommendations

Develop, distribute, and update guidance and best practices

• Develop guidance on how to become interoperable– Small, focused team that seeks community input– Delivers guidance in 4 months

• Gather lessons learned after 2 years• Create best practices reference document

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CyAir Recommendations

Hire/designate an air quality community organizer/EPA liaison

Responsibilities would include:• Facilitate communications within EPA and other

agencies and community groups • Link groups and people• Lead efforts to plan and organize conferences and

workshops• Report interoperability status to EPA management

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CyAir Recommendations

Generate outreach and education information

• Create an AQ CI management briefing• Create an AQ CI 101 course

– Based on guidance– In-depth for program managers and developers

• Create and conduct AQ CI workshops– One per year on various topics– In person or virtual

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CyAir Recommendations

Create a cyberinfrastructure of core air quality data systems• Use guidance• Start with high value systems• Fund data providers to build interoperability

components• Require data providers to participate in

educational effort and website• Publish progress and status updates on the

CyAir Resource Website

AQS & AQS Data MartAIRNow

RSIGVIEWS

EIS & NEIDataFed

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CyAir Recommendations

Create a cyberinfrastructure of core air quality data systems (continued)

• After one year, review and publish status• Incorporate other operational data systems

within EPA and other agencies via workshop, mentor program, etc.

• Operate and maintain systems

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CyAir Recommendations

Add cyberinfrastructure requirements to EPA contracts, grants, and procurements

• Add cyberinfrastructure requirements to solicitations

• Inform program managers of requirements• Evaluate effectiveness of requirements

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CyAir Recommendations

Create CyAir resource website • Develop and maintain a website

– CyAir information and status – Education and outreach materials– Resources (code, tools, documents)– Directory of online resources– Feedback/discussion forum

• Provide ongoing management, maintenance, outreach, and operation of the website

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CyAir Recommendations

Provide cyberinfrastructure-building tools and resources for data providers and data users

Create the following resources:– Data sharing and data access code library

– Interoperability compliance validation tools

– Metadata creation tools

– Data discovery and catalog tools

– Feedback mechanisms and guidelines

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CyAir Recommendations

Develop a simple governance structure and leverage other communities

• Create a small, focused steering committee to direct and carry out these recommendations. Members would include: EPA and other funders with input from other groups (data providers, data users, and state/local representatives)

• Get input from other communities at ESIP, GEO AQCoP, Association of Clean Air Agencies (NACAA)

• Work with NOAA to establish an air quality point-of-contact

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Terms

AQS = Air Quality SystemCASTNET = Clean Air Status and Trends NetworkCMAQ = Community Multiscale Air Quality modelEIS = Emissions Inventory SystemESIP = Federation of Earth Science Information Partners GEO = Group on Earth Observations GEO CoP = GEO Air Quality Community of PracticeGEOSS = Global Earth Observation System of SystemsHTAP = Hemispheric Transport of Air PollutantsMADIS = Meteorological Assimilation Data Ingest SystemNACAA = National Association of Clean Air AgenciesRSIG = Remote Sensing Information GatewayVIEWS = Visibility Information Exchange Web System