Welcome to the Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC) User Working Group (UWG) Meeting May 10-11, 2011

The purpose of the Goddard Data and Information Services (DISC) User Working Group (UWG) is to establish science user involvement in the planning, development, and operations of the GES DISC and to represent the science user community in reviewing and guiding DISC development. The UWG is a guiding body for Earth science data management at the GES DISC, as well as for the NASA EOSDIS Program Purpose

Assist in defining how the GES DISC activities will meet science goals and questions. Provide clear, objective recommendations on data management issues and priorities at the GES DISC. Provide user review, guidance, user feedback to DISC development activities and operations. Facilitate coordination with the general user community, the EOSDIS Program and Project Scientists, and interested members of other communities. Objectives

Responsibilities Topics and issues which the UWG will be responsible for addressing include, but are not limited to, the following: Progress and performance of the DISC system; recommendations for improving the utility of the DISC to science/application researchers. Data set priorities, including requirements for precursor data sets and for new data products of significant use to the user community. Mechanisms to enhance user access to data (new technologies, better data representation, pre-science tools, user/data assistance, DISC user interface, and DISC user conferences). Requirements for and characteristics of browse and other non-standard (e.g., real near real time data) products. Science user perspective on system-related issues, such as data processing system requirements, data formats and standards, data product organization, preprocessing requirements, and capability development.

Agenda Format Introductory Material Review of previous UWG recommendations A series of discussions that address GES DISC activities and questions that will bear recommendations consistent with the objectives of the User Working Group

Agenda DAY 1 8:00Breakfast 8:30 – Welcomes - Logistics and Introductions…Agenda, Objectives, Roles and Responsibilities (10 minutes) – Steve Kempler/GES DISC Manager and Eric Fetzer/UWG Chair/JPL - Welcome from Code 610 (10 minutes) - Steve Wharton/Chief, GCDC 8:50 – Perspectives - HQ perspectives on NASA Earth Science Data Systems – Ken Jucks/GES DISC Program Scientist/HQ - UWG Charge: Programmatic guidance to UWG – Ken - Mechanism for carrying out recommendations - Ken (30 minutes) -EOSDIS perspective/update (20 minutes) – John Moses/ESDIS 9:40 - User Satisfaction Survey (20 minutes) - ESDIS Project Report – John - DISC Project Report –Jim Acker/GES DISC 10:00 – 15 minute break

Agenda 10:15 - The Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC) - State of the DISC (30 minutes) – Steve K -10 recommendations – (60 minutes) – Steve K to lead 1.Expand the UWG 2.Organize data by science discipline 3.Keep an archive of user scenarios (GES DISC approach) 4.Increase access to multi-sensor observations 5.Help further NASA’s role in climate assessments 6.Enable transition to users in the applications and decision support communities 7.Help ensure data quality and provenance 8.Transition to support for future missions 9.Allow subsetting and simplified formats 10.Continue asking GES DISC UWG and science community for clarification on data service enhancements 11:45 – 60 minute lunch (Pizzzza)

Agenda Discussion Sessions The following sessions will each contain questions/issues in which the GES DISC seeks advice/recommendations from its User Working Group 12:45 - Session A. Lines of Business (90 minutes) – Steve K, lead Discussion of the GES DISC’s focus areas addressed to fulfill their data management requirements. How it has changed, and why, and current focus 2:15 - Session B. New Services (75 minutes) – Chris Lynnes, (Contributors: Greg Leptoukh, Mahabaleshwa Hegde, Richard Strub)/GES DISC 1. Discovery Update: What kind of data discovery and access methods is particularly useful to users? How can we get more access and discovery input from the user community ? 2. Services – Data Quality OpenDAP/WMS/WCS Subsetting/Reformatting – Simple Subsetting Wizard Giovanni and Giovanni Evolution

Agenda 3:30 – Break 3:45 - Session C. Technology Initiatives 1.ESDIS Evolution Initiatives (40 minutes) – ESDIS/GES DISC - LANCE – Karen Michael/ESDIS and Bruce Vollmer/GES DISC - User Registration – Andrew Mitchell/ESDIS and Bruce (in previous talk) - REVERB/ECHO – Andrew and Chris -Coherent Web – John/ESDIS 2. Community Based Initiatives (55 minutes) – Chris (contributors: Greg, Bruce) ESC (break with feedback) ESIP Discovery Cluster ESIP IQ Cluster (break with feedback) ESDSWG/TIWG Simple Subset Wizard WADC GEWEX/CEOP GEWEX/aerosols ACP User Scenarios Community Based Giovanni

Agenda Is this enough community participation, not enough, or too much? Enough technology based initiatives? Science initiatives? 5:15ADJOURN for the day Dinner TBD DAY 2 8:00Breakfast 8:30 - Session C. Technology Initiatives (continued) 3. GES DISC Evolution Initiatives (40 minutes) - Cloud Computing – Long (Contributors: Mike Theobald, Bruce, Aijun Chen, Ed Esfandiari)/GES DISC Web Redesign – Long and Rashed Chowdhury/GES DISC– followed with discussion MDSA, provenance – Greg Aerostat, validation – Greg

Agenda 9:10 - Session D. Mission Support (60 minutes) 1.Multi-Sensor Initiatives– Greg 2.Model Data – Peter Smith/GES DISC 3.MEaSUREs Projects Data Support Report – Bruce 4.Sustaining completed projects – Steve K 5.Applications activities (USDA, DSS) – Bill Teng/GES DISC 6.Data Stewardship and Data Provenance activities – Steve K and Greg 7.Our new proposed data citation policy (generate strawman)- Chris 10:10BREAK 10:25Executive Session: Discuss findings, suggestions, recommendations – UWG Members, ESDIS 11:25UWG Report out: UWG Recommendations and General Discussion (this meeting, process improvement, next meeting) – All 12:00UWG Meeting ADJOURNED for the day -Lunch at Chinese Buffet

Logistics Breakfast and snacks are provided Pizza lunch order headcount will be taken in the morning. Unfortunately, government funds can not be used for purchasing food, so we are on our own. We will also take a headcount for a Tuesday night dinner