1. Metadata Development in the Earth System Curator
                     
                                                                                       
Spanning the Gap Between Models and Datasets
Rocky Dunlap, Georgia Tech

2. Motivation
Two primary products of the climate community: datasets and the models used to produce them
Models
Datasets

3. Motivation Many efforts in place to provide uniform access to datasets
Additionally, groups like ESMF are working to develop frameworks for component exchanges and interoperability
e.g., couple two different ocean models with the same atmosphere

4. Motivation
However there is currently a gap between models and datasets
Models and datasets are currently treated as distinct and separate entities
Earth System Curator’s claim:
This gap is actually an artificial barrier that inhibits access to resources and results

5. What is the Earth System Curator?
The goal of the Earth System Curator project is to provide a transparent interface to climate models and their output data
Models
Datasets
What do we need to make this happen?

6. Metadata Metadata is data about data
What would it take to completely describe a particular climate model run?
“completely” means you could reproduce the output bit for bit ……
………
…………
Model Metadata
Model Run
Output

7. Convergence of Models and Data
ESC begins with a crucial insight:
the descriptors used for comprehensively specifying a model configuration are also needed for a scientifically useful description of the model output data
This leads to the convergence of models and data
There is a need for a common metadata formalism to unify the treatment of models and data

8. (Simplified) System Overview
Simulation Datasets ?
Query
Metadata
Graphical User Interface
Models

9. Research Approach
Study metadata structures of existing projects in the climate community
Create a common ontology that aligns the metadata models, while also allowing for eventual inclusion of other metadata sources
Extensibility is a priority!
The resulting metadata description will be the foundation of the Earth System Curator database

10. Current Efforts Earth System Modeling Framework (ESMF)
NSF, NCAR, DoD, NASA, NOAA, DoE, MIT, UCLA, University of Michigan
Earth System Grid (ESG)
DoE SciDAC sponsored
Labs: ANL, LBNL, LLNL, NCAR, ORNL
GFDL Curator database

11. Earth System Modeling Framework
Common modeling infrastructure for climate and weather models
Components have standard interfaces which facilitates coupling
ESMF already contains a number of metadata-rich structures for describing climate models
gridded component, coupler component, field, bundle, state, clock, grid

12. ESMF Coupled Model
Our goal is to extract the metadata needed to adequately describe hierarchical, coupled climate models

13. Earth System Grid
Make output of high-resolution, long-duration climate simulations available to global-change impacts researchers
Enable analysis and knowledge development from earth system models
Increase productivity by linking users with needed data

14. Earth System Grid

15. GFDL Curator
An initial shot at a database that describes both climate models and data
Multiple compartments
Models
Variables
Workflow
Post Processing
Data Portal

16. Conceptual Modeling

17. Why is this hard? Disagreement about what terms mean
What is a model?
What is a component?
What is a coupler?
What is a code base?
Metadata must be as generic as possible while still being useful

18. Deliverables
Allow researchers to archive and query Earth system models, experiments, model components, and model output data
Perform technical compatibility checking
How can we determine if two components will run together?
What about scientific compatibility?
Prototype auto-assembly of components to facilitate model runs
Involves automatic code generation of simple couplers

19. Broader Impacts Improve climate prediction for policy makers
Facilitate Model Intercomparison Projects (MIPs) by allowing fast setup and execution of experiments using different model components
Encourage Curator-like activity in other domains
Promote the use of Curator as a normative ontology

20. ESC Collaborators NSF Funded National Center for Atmospheric Research
NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory
MIT
Georgia Tech

21. Thanks!
Website:
Questions?