Workshop on

Networking Air Quality Observations and Models:

Motivation: “From Observations to Decision Support” at session 34-3, ISRSE 33, May 2009, Stresa, IT

Challenge: The road to data driven decisions support is littered with wrecks.

Points of Contact: Rudolf Husar (rhusar@wustl.edu), Martin Schultz (m.schultz@fz-juelich.de)

Šolta, Croatia, August 24-26, 2011

Day 1: State of AQ InteroperabilityDay 2: Technical Discussion Day 3: Consensus? What Next?

Workshop Goals (Bravo Martin!)

•Get to know each other•Identify core AQ applications and sharable data sets•Exchange state-of-the-art, interoperability practices •Address technical and programmatic issues•Have fun

Preliminary Agenda•Wednesday, 25 Aug: State of AQ Interoperability

– Participant presentations– Integrating Initiatives, Agencies, ‘End Users’, their needs, roles – GEO AQ CoP role, relationships, contributions

•Thursday, 26 Aug: Technical Realization of Interoperability– Syntactic issues (Improved standards? WCS, WMS, CSW…; netcdf, other formats)– Semantic issues (Metadata for finding and understanding data? CF? )– Programmatic issues (Which data can be shared by whom? Data versions, etc.?)

•Friday, 27 Aug: Outcomes. Consensus? Next?– What few things must be the SAME, so that everything else can be DIFFERENT?– How can we collaborate? Interact with other Initiatives, Agencies, Users? – Do we have common long-term goals? Next steps?

Air Quality Data Network

• Uses OGC standards (.. netCDF), CF Conventions, ISO metadata

• Share software code, best practices• Seven servers, three clients (HTAP, MACC,

ACP, EE, EMEP, VIEWS, PHAROS, CIERA,RSIG,..)

• AQ Community Catalog for finding

• Test app. for EPA Except. Events

AQ Data Network is still fragile, incomplete and inadequate for real apps, but

demonstratesfine grained data networking with GEOSS

infrastructure and process

AQ Data Network: Servers

AQ Data Find & Access

MARKET

GEOSS Goal:

Facilitate access and integration of a broad range of EOs to SBAs, including Air Quality

Spectrum of User Communities

From Observations to Decisions

Measuring& Modeling

Earth Obs. & Modeler

InfoProc. & Distributi

EO Service Provider

SciKnow Creation

Discipline Scientist

Decision Support

EnvHealth Model, Res

Decision Making

EnvPolicy & Manager

Assessing Benefit

Public & Officials

Spectrum of Activities and Approach

Maps on to the GEO Framework

Value-adding processes color chart here

Problem: Which distributor? Sci Team? Decision Support – herre the cocneptual breaks down..need to go experimental - observationalIn there pattern in the emerging information ecosystem

Spectrum of User Communities

From Observations to Decisions

Measuring& Modeling

Earth Obs. & Modeler

InfoProc. & Distribution

EO Service Provider

SciKnow Creation

Discipline Scientist

Decision Support

EnvHealth Model, Res

Decision Making

EnvPolicy & Manager

Assessing Benefit

Public & Officials

Spectrum of Activities and Approach

Data PortalsVIEWS - Visibility Information Exchange Web System

EPA RSIG - Remote Sensing Information Gateway

EPA AQS - Air Quality System

NASA GIOVANNI - Data & Information Services Center

EBAS - Norwegian Institute of Air Research

CEOS ACP: Atmospheric Composition Portal

CIERA: Comm. Initiative for Emissions Res. & Apps.

GMES MACC: Monitoring Atm. Composition and Climate

 

AQ Decision Support Sys. VIEWS - Visibility Information Exchange Web SystemTF HTAP Task Force, Hemispheric Transport of Air PollutantsGMES MACC: Monitoring Atmospheric Composition and ClimateEPA - Exceptional Air Pollution Event AnalysisDataFed - Federated Data Systems for Air Quality Data 

 AQ Science TeamsTF HTAP Task Force, Hemispheric Transport of Air PollutantsNASA AQAST - Quality Applied Science TeamESA CCI Aerosol: Climate Change Initiative for AerosolsGMES MACC: Monitoring Atmospheric Composition and ClimateEPA - Exceptional Air Pollution Event AnalysisAeroCom - Aerosol Model Inter-comparison Project 

Data Portals

Data Aggregators for Easier Access

VIEWS - Visibility Information Exchange Web System

EPA RSIG - Remote Sensing Information Gateway

EPA AQS - Air Quality System

NASA GIOVANNI - Data & Information Services Center

EBAS - Norwegian Institute of Air Research

CEOS ACP: Atmospheric Composition Portal

CIERA: Comm. Initiative for Emissions Res. & Apps.

GMES MACC: Monitoring Atm. Composition and Climate

 AQ Science TeamsScience Collectives and CollaborativesTF HTAP Task Force, Hemispheric Transport of Air PollutantsNASA AQAST - Quality Applied Science TeamESA CCI Aerosol: Climate Change Initiative for AerosolsGMES MACC: Monitoring Atmospheric Composition and ClimateEPA - Exceptional Air Pollution Event AnalysisAeroCom - Aerosol Model Inter-comparison Project 

 

AQ Decision Support SystemsData Driven Analysis and

PrognosisVIEWS - Visibility Information Exchange Web SystemTF HTAP Task Force, Hemispheric Transport of Air PollutantsGMES MACC: Monitoring Atmospheric Composition and ClimateEPA - Exceptional Air Pollution Event AnalysisDataFed - Federated Data Systems for Air Quality Data 

The era of a single data provider, the individual scientist or the lone decision supporter is over.There is a new pattern emerging in the maturing information ecosystem

Data Portals aggregators of many data streams

This is a good thin for the Earth System & GEOSS since it does not have to support individuals but can fucus on fewer groupings Implicit structure Cascading multi-stage process al la the economy-of-scale

Data PortalsVIEWS - Visibility Information Exchange Web System

EPA RSIG - Remote Sensing Information Gateway

EPA AQS - Air Quality System

NASA GIOVANNI - Data & Information Services Center

EBAS - Norwegian Institute of Air Research

CEOS ACP: Atmospheric Composition Portal

CIERA: Comm. Initiative for Emissions Res. & Apps.

GMES MACC: Monitoring Atm. Composition and Climate

 AQ Science TeamsTF HTAP Task Force, Hemispheric Transport of Air PollutantsNASA AQAST - Quality Applied Science TeamESA CCI Aerosol: Climate Change Initiative for AerosolsGMES MACC: Monitoring Atmospheric Composition and ClimateEPA - Exceptional Air Pollution Event AnalysisAeroCom - Aerosol Model Inter-comparison Project 

 

AQ Decision Support SystemsVIEWS - Visibility Information Exchange Web SystemTF HTAP Task Force, Hemispheric Transport of Air PollutantsGMES MACC: Monitoring Atmospheric Composition and ClimateEPA - Exceptional Air Pollution Event AnalysisDataFed - Federated Data Systems for Air Quality Data 

Value Adding Groups

 Felicitators, ConnectorsGEOSS AIP Architecture Implementation Pilot | OGC NetworkEPA Data SummitGO-ESSP: Global Org. for Earth System Science PortalsEU EGIDA - Coord. Cross-Disciplinary Projects to Promote GEOSSEPA CyAir: Cyberinfratructure for Air Quality ManagmentCIERA: Community Initiative for Emissions Research and ApplicationsGEO AQ CoP: GEO Air Quality Community of PracticeCOST ES0602: EU Network on Chemical Weather Forecasting..AeroCom - Aerosol Model Inter-comparison ProjectESIP Earth Science Information Partners, AQ Work Group 

GEO Air Quality Community of Practice

Main Value Adding Activity:Interoperable Network

• The GEO AQ CoP is a self-organized voluntary group that fosters the use of Earth observations to air quality management and science by leveraging synergies of sharing and collaboration.

• Community activities include collaborative website; workshops; gathering user requirements; sharing tools and best practices as well as aiding other communities: data portals, science teams and decision support activities.

• A persistent output facilitated by the AQ CoP is a network of air quality/atmospheric composition data servers that use OGC-standard protocols and the GEOSS interoperability process.

• Searching, browsing and accessing data from monitoring networks, satellite sensors, emissions, as well as from AQ models is through a Community Catalog.

• We know that information systems like libraries and the internet provide useful services

• The technologies and the engineering of these systems is understood but the science is not in hand…

– What causes information to be generated, transmitted and ‘consumed’?

– What are the driving forces to the flow of information? Provider push, consumer pull? Impediments.. …Can you push a rope?

– What are there suitable ‘laws of nature’, equivalent to conservation of mass and energy?

• Earth Science info systems are still in the pre-scientific era• Hence, first need to observe these info systems ..

The of GEOSS (and most other EO integrating initiatives) is create more societal benefit from Earth Observations and Models

Effective creation of societal benefit hinges on seamless data flow and re-use, so a universal value is the ability the share and re-use data.

Hence AQ CoP chose to focus on facilitating Air Quality Data Network.

• We also understand that the creation of an Earth Science information system has been a grand challenge for decades….

• …and that the “The road toward integrated Earth Science info systems is littered with wrecks of well-intended attempts..”

• So, challenge is how to make more progress this time..•