AN ORGANISATION FOR A NATIONAL EARTH SCIENCE INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM Why build an Earth Science Information Network? Dr Robert Woodcock AuScope Grid - Director

2 Outline Why build an Earth Science Information Network? What is AuScope? What is an Information Network? Building an Earth Science Information Network The AuScope Earth Science Information Network

3 ? Commonwealth State Local Regional Industry Research bedrock surficial mineral geochemical geochronologic hyrdrogeological Geo-information geophysical With acknowledgement to Boyan Brodaric, Natural Resources Canada Decisions, decisions…? decision makers knowledge base

4 Don’t you hate it when………………….. You have to keep and maintain versions of someone else’s data, and you don’t know if it’s correct or outdated? You know there’s useful information out there, but you cannot find it? You waste valuable time downloading and converting datasets? You can see the data you want on a web map but you can’t download the real data for analysis?

5 Data Structures Proprietary Software Versions of Software Client Part of our problem…data access is not standardised across organisations

6 Minerals Industry: Persistently driving Recommended actions –“Development and endorse a plan to upgrade … the Geoscience portal.. –Endorse.. standards for company exploration data submitted to Mines Departments –Implement web-based services … –Develop and endorse a plan for implementation of an Australian Earth Science Grid” See

7 The problem runs deeper…information is part of a workflow across organisations decision making Resource Assessment geohazards inundation hazard potential hazard uncertainty Earthquake location Earthquake magnitude Policy buildings bathymetry geophysics Seismic Community Info Environment Geo-information vulnerability, risk cost Human Facility Economy loss Environment Risk Assessment Tsunami risk map Integrated Assessment resource assessment modeling vulnerability, risk assessment modeling integrated assessment modeling Tsunami emergency response geohazards Town planning inundation Vulnerability, risk Water Resources –Bureau of Meteorology – legislative mandate on water data –300 data providers –Dozens of data products What format? –95% say Comma Separated Values – what about relationships? –Is “T” Temperature, Time, Total, Turbidity? –What about Units of measurement? Temperature, Kelvin, Centigrade, Fahrenheit?

8 It’s all to hard

AN ORGANISATION FOR A NATIONAL EARTH SCIENCE INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM What is AuScope? Earth Science Research Community

10 Integration of observations, models, simulation…

11 Analysis Workflows

12 Enabling the new e-Research Infrastructure There is a growing recognition that ICT is enabling new ways to conduct research –Collect increasingly larger sets of data as a primary form of research –Use modelling tools to assist in deriving patterns, perceptions and trends that form the basis for testing hypotheses –Working in teams across traditional discipline boundaries to understand systems Source: DIISR – Strategic Roadmap for Australian Research Infrastructure, August 2008.

13 National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy NCRIS – a new Australian Government Initiative Australian Government: ~$500M for FY06-FY11 11 Capability Areas + one Systemic ICT Infrastructure NCRIS Principles –“Major infrastructure …should serve the research and innovation system broadly, not just the host / funded institutions –“...seek to enable the fuller participation of Australian researchers in the international research system” Test Beds Prototypes

14 Spectrometer Telescope Robotic x/y table Linescan camera Control computer Cooler Profilometer AuScope Infrastructure System 1. Geophysical Data MT, seismic 3. Geochem, Geochron data 4. Hyperspectral data 2. GPS data 4 Acquisition Groups Analysis & Synthesis Access Integration

15 Coherent Accessible Infrastructure AuScope National, Integrated Data Acquisition Infrastructure and Programs AuScope Earth Model 3D/4D Multiscale Updateable Web Portal Access New Ideas New Knowledge Policy Demands Education Wealth Building Repositories, Networks, Access & Interoperability AuScope Simulator Data Mining Inversion Modelling Infrastructure Data / Information Research Knowledge Application National Benefit AuScope National, Integrated Data Acquisition Infrastructure and Programs AuScope Earth Model 3D/4D Multiscale Updateable Web Portal Access New Ideas New Knowledge Policy Demands Education Wealth Building Repositories, Networks, Access & Interoperability AuScope Simulator Data Mining Inversion Modelling Infrastructure Data / Information Research Knowledge Application National Benefit 1: Concepts 2: Data Acquisition 3: Data storage & access 4: Research 5: Knowledge Delivery

AN ORGANISATION FOR A NATIONAL EARTH SCIENCE INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM What is an Information Network? Data sharing, applications, discovery and access

17 What hat do you wear? Consumer, Provider or both! Provider Consumer Standardise Information models Standardise the Query interface Do not change my internal operations dramatically (including databases) Should not second guess the consumers workflow

18 AuScope Community Agreements Client A solution: Open standards based earth science information infrastructure

19 Rendered into a map layer AND queried by a user or…. … formatted into a report or …. … read and used by any enabled application Slides courtesy Stuart Girvan – Geoscience Australia Applications: It’s not about you…it’s about them.

20 Multiple overlaid maps One GetMap request: Web Map Service (WMS) can access multiple maps Borders Elevation Cloud cover Cities

21 WMS GetMap returns a server’s “dumb” JPEG, GIF or PNG representation of the data on the server. It does NOT return the actual data, only a bitmap of the data. WMS can’t “give data away.” Roma

22 Web Feature Server GetFeature request: Feature & attribute data Web Feature Service (WFS) returns data. I-95 I-295 I-87

23 Multiple thematic data layers GetFeature request: Web Feature Service (WFS) gets operable feature data from multiple servers Cities Borders Elevation Each layer is data, not merely a view: Country is: Name: Italy Population: 57,500,000 Area: 301,325 sq km...

24 Portrayal vs Analysis Simple vs Community Schemas Data can be easily exchanged within communities where meaning is understood and humans are involved Property = temperature, (only) Value = ’15-20’ For use in wider communities more precise definitions are required that reflect the complexity of the real world Property = temperature, Value = 15 Unit = C Instrument = thermometer Value = 17 Unit = C Instrument = thermometer Value = 20 Unit = C Instrument = thermometer OR Property = temperature, MinValue = 15 Unit = C MaxValue = 20 Unit = C Agreement at an international level enables data to be reused, repurposed and used by other domains globally

AN ORGANISATION FOR A NATIONAL EARTH SCIENCE INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM Building an Earth Science Information Network …locally for access nationally and globally …to provide access to authoritative, high quality, data and information …to enable reuse and repurposing of data and information …to integrate with other national and state network initiatives

26 1 st Step: Standardise the Information Models Not a storage problem… –Exchange Semantics and structure –GeoSciML, OGC Tool support –Creation and validation Geography Markup Language

27 AuScope Geoscience Network: Data types Structured Unstructured Large Volume Binary Files Hyperspectral data Geophysical data Satellite data BLOBs Point GPS Mineral Occurrence Geochron Curve (ID) Well log Geophys Profile Flight line Surface (2D) Geological Map Cross section Swath Solid (3D) 3D Geological Model Lidar cloud Available via AuScope Prototyped by CSIRO

28 Distributed Information Resources QLD NSW TAS AuScope Grid: Open standards based web services Distributed Compute Resources Information Exchange Layer Discovery Layer GPS VIC NT WA SAGA VCL Geo chem Geo chron Geo phys Mesh Tools Fluid Flow Inter polation Visual isation 3D Tools AuScope Resource registry WMSWFSWCSWPS PortalVisualisation Access controls Resource Layer AuScope ACceSS T.wulf APAC

29 URN Resolver Service Vocabulary Service Community Agreed Service Interfaces and Information Models AuScope service catalog Standard Vocabularies Service Registry Discovery Layer Exchange Layer Resources Discovery Portal Government Department Data Geological Survey Web Feature Service (WFS) Analysis Workflow The Spatial Information Services Stack Tools of the trade With Application Schemas

30 The AuScope Earth Science Information Network

31 Beyond Geological Maps …………. Earth System Science The 33rd IGC programme highlights the need to promote interaction and integration of the Earth Sciences. A wide range of multidisciplinary fields of research augment classical Earth Science today; –Geosphere –Biosphere –Cryosphere –Atmosphere interactions are particularly important.

32 Benefits for… Providers –All providers get to retain their back end database structures –(Potential to have) consumers and independent 3 rd parties develop their own portals and applications Users –Accelerate time to results –Enable collaboration and promote operational flexibility –Increase productivity –Leverage existing capital investments –Increased access to data and collaboration –Infrastructure optimisation

33 Bringing the science community together using open spatial standards

34 Discovery Portal - Surfing the Earth Model