1. Siri Jodha Khalsa CIRES, Univ. of Colorado
Brokering for Multi-Disciplinary Interoperability: An EarthCube Perspective
Siri Jodha Khalsa
CIRES, Univ. of Colorado

2. EarthCube Process
Collaboratively produced framework to form an integrated & synergistic path forward
Special Interest Groups
Special Interest Groups
End User Groups
Community Discourse
Brokering
X-Domain Interop.
Service Based Integration
Earth System Modeling
Layered Architecture
Dark GeoData
Hydrospheric Model (OHMF)
Concept Awards
Semantics and Ontologies
Workflow
Governance
Data Discovery/Mining/Access
Community Groups
Collaboration between Cas and CGs critical to the process
Recognition that governance is primary need
Structure and body still TBD

3. EarthCube Process
Collaboratively produced framework to form an integrated & synergistic path forward
Special Interest Groups
Special Interest Groups
End User Groups
Community Discourse
Concept Awards
Semantics and Ontologies
Workflow
Governance
Data Discovery/Mining/Access
Community Groups
Collaboration between Cas and CGs critical to the process
Recognition that governance is primary need
Structure and body still TBD
Hydrospheric Model (OHMF)
X-Domain Interop.
Layered Architecture
Earth System Modeling
Brokering
Dark GeoData
Service Based Integration

4. The Brokering Concept Award
Primary Deliverable was a Roadmap:
Brokering Terminology &Principles
Communications & Collaborations
Current State of Art
Challenges & Risks
Governance Requirements
Lessons Learned
Recommended Next Steps

5. Brokering Framework Definition
A broker connects information resources by mediating interactions between those resources without requiring either party to adapt new conventions or install software components
Enables many-to-many connections
A broker connects information resources (a client requesting information and a server providing that information) by mediating interactions between those resources without requiring either party to adapt new conventions or install software components
A broker might mediate data discovery (e.g. translating between catalog search protocols), data access (e.g. translating between data formats or CRS), and workflow composition.
A broker might mediate between domain semantics or natural languages

6. Tenets
There is no single information technology or standard that will serve all domains
Different domains are at different stages of infrastructure development and use
Cyberinfrastructure must evolve incrementally
it is impossible to anticipate all requirements or technical and sociological trends
Brokering can bring the flexibility, adaptability and evolvability necessary for successful CIs

7. Standards and Infrastructure
No universally appropriate standards exist for describing, representing, and interpreting data
Standards are often nested
may link to and integrate with other standards across systems, organizations, nations, and cultures
Standards are relevant to particular communities
Embody values and ethical choices
What make things easier for one community will be a barrier to another community

8. Additional Tenets Brokering should be a core service of the CI
Managed and maintained independent of the served domains (users or providers)
Multiple brokers may work at different levels within the overall system of systems
The CI should support the interactions of brokers

9. Experiments, Pilots and Prototypes
Hack-a-thon
Evaluate ease with which resources are connected
No coding required
Evaluated DAB, GeoPortal, ERDDAP
Prototyping with DAB
GEOSS, ACADIS, CUAHSI, Unidata, Forest Carbon
Range from experimental to operational
Addressing both specific and general needs
Issued Request for Information
Seeking to learn of brokering solutions
Ways in which we are gaining experience with brokering solutions
Driven in most cases by specific needs expressed by use cases

10. Lessons Learned CI development should begin by addressing real needs
with real users evaluating incremental deliveries of functionality
Variations in standards implementations require custom adaptors
Accumulate understanding of social dynamics involved with infrastructure creation and use

11. Highlights from Roadmap
Brokering is a necessity in any infrastructure aiming to connect information resources of diverse, autonomous disciplines
For EarthCube to become a reality it must make a long-term commitment to infrastructure development and maintenance
EarthCube will need a well-defined but flexible system of governance to oversee infrastructure evolution, in particular cross-disciplinary solutions
EarthCube will need a well-defined but flexible system of governance to aid these decisions and to define organizations and mechanisms to select and sustain the necessary brokers.

12. Model Webs
In phase where there are many competing and overlapping solutions and initiatives
Underscores sociotechnical nature of CI evolution
Necessity of showing value, understanding users and their needs

13. Tensions in Infrastructure Development
Cost vs. benefit of standards adoption
Reliability & availability of brokered resources
Ownership, buy in, control, confidence
Brokering all conceivable formats/protocols vs. just those bringing most benefits
Brokering as a interim solution
deciding between social and technical solutions and between global and local approaches (or some combination) as well as choices such as which standards and protocols to support.
Balance between top-down promulgation of standards and practices, and bottom-up adoption by communities
Ownership/Maintenance of broker configurations
Community support for sustainability
roliferation of incompatible brokering solutions
Develop common description of adaptors?
Which resources/standards to broker
Stability of resources being brokered
Retiring brokering framework when convergence on standards makes it largely unnecessary

14. Next Steps for EarthCube
Build pilots, prototypes and testbeds where components can be developed, tested then integrated
Must be guided and evaluated by user community
Brokers will grow and evolve as they connect more and more systems
Broker implementations will continue under various international programs
Coordination and knowledge sharing desirable
Develop a brokering “community of practice”
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15. Questions?

16. A broker connects information resources (a client requesting information and a server providing that information) by mediating interactions between those resources without requiring either party to adapt new conventions or install software components
A broker might mediate data discovery (e.g. translating between catalog search protocols), data access (e.g. translating between data formats or CRS), and workflow composition.
A broker might mediate between domain semantics or natural languages