I n f o r m a t i o n T e c h n o l o g yI n f r a s t r u c t u r e P l a n t o

A d v a n c e O c e a n S c i e n c e s

S p o n s o r e d b y t h e O f f i c e o f N a v a l R e s e a r c ha n d t h e N a t i o n a l S c i e n c e F o u n d a t i o n

t h r o u g h a n a w a r d t o N o e s i s , I n c .

E d i t i n g a n d d e s i g n b yG e o s c i e n c e s P r o f e s s i o n a l S e r v i c e s , I n c .

J u n e 2 0 0 2

S u m m a r y o f t h e

T o v i e w t h e f u l l p l a n v i s i t : w w w . g e o - p r o s e . c o m / o i t i / r e p o r t . h t m l

T o r e q u e s t a s i n g l e c o p y o f t h i s r e p o r t , � O c e a n S c i e n c e s a t t h e N e w M i l l e n n i u m , � o r� N S F G e o s c i e n c e s B e y o n d 2 0 0 0 , � w r i t e t o : D i v i s i o n o f O c e a n S c i e n c e s N a t i o n a l S c i e n c e F o u n d a t i o n4 2 0 1 W i l s o n B o u l e v a r d A r l i n g t o n , V A 2 2 2 3 0 o c e p u b s @ n s f . g o v

B a s i n - S c a l e E d d y - R e s o l v i n g B i o g e o c h e m i c a l S i m u l a t i o n s

Mesoscale (100s of km) eddies in the ocean are an important ve-

hicle for transporting nutrients to the surface where they are con-

sumed by plankton. Recent increases in computational capability,

together with progress in ocean modeling, have facilitated some

of the fi rst truly eddy-resolving, basin-scale simulations. Such cal-

culations provide a framework in which the impact of mesoscale

processes on biogeochemical cycling can be studied (above). A

signifi cant enhancement in computational infrastructure is re-

quired to study the productivity of ocean ecosystems with a more

appropriate degree of biogeochemical realism. Courtesy of Dennis

McGillicuddy, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

Temperature (C) at 5 m (SST); 5 Jul 1993

lati

tud

e

longitude-80 -60 -40 -20

-10

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

0

25°C

20°C

15°C

10°C

5°C

lati

tud

e

-10

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

longitude-80 -60 -40 -20 0

New Production, log10 (mmol N/m-/day); 5 Jul 1993

1

0.5

0

-0.5

-1

-1.5

-2

C o m p u t a t i o n a l T o o l s

Simulations of ocean circulation from meters to global

scale carried out using the MIT general circulation model.

Courtesy of Alistair Adcroft, Chris Hill, and John Marshall,

Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

U r g e n t I s s u e s

The scientifi c case for enhanced Ocean Information Technology

Infrastructure (OITI) resources is founded on the experience de-

rived from a decade of global ocean programs and the scientifi c

challenges and opportunities identifi ed by two recent reports,

NSF Geosciences Beyond 2000 and Ocean Sciences at the New

Millennium. These reports, combined with community input

gleaned from a comprehensive survey of current and projected

information technology (IT) needs, identifi ed several urgent IT

infrastructure issues.

• Hardware capacity. A multi-fold increase in hardware capacity

is required to meet ocean sciences research goals in the next

ten years. The most critical bottlenecks are in the availability

of compute cycles, memory and mass-storage capacity, and

network bandwidth.

• Software systems. There are signifi cant challenges in the area

of software systems for effi cient use on massively parallel

computers. Signifi cant advances must be made in visualization

techniques to deal effectively with increasing volumes of ob-

servations and model output, and well-designed, documented,

and tested community models of all types are urgently needed.

• IT personnel. There is an extreme shortage of skilled IT infra-

structure personnel accessible to the ocean sciences commu-

nity. Steps must be taken to train and retain new IT specialists.

• Data systems. Novel IT approaches are needed to handle and

exploit the present and future data streams from experiments,

observing systems, and model runs. The challenge extends

beyond just the computational resources of handling the data

streams and requires advances in the way data streams are

documented, shared, and saved.

S c i e n t i f i c O p p o r t u n i t i e s i n O c e a n S c i e n c e s

• Ocean Turbulence• The Complex Coastal Ocean• Non-Equilibrium Ecosystem Dynamics• Long-Term Ocean Observations and Prediction• The Ocean’s Role in Global Climate• The Ocean Below the Seafl oor• Dynamics of Oceanic Lithosphere and Margins from Ocean Sciences at the New Millennium

0.7

aximum Vector

30.

Maximum Vector

G l o b a l O c e a n S t a t e E s t i m a t i o n

Ocean state estimation combines information from data and models

to obtain the best possible description of the changing ocean (be-

low). This technique will provide insights into the nature of climate-

related ocean variability, major ocean transport pathways, heat and

freshwater fl ux divergences, the location and rate of ventilation, and

the ocean’s response to atmospheric variability. State estimation

places very heavy demands on IT resources, from computational

cycles to memory, storage, and

data transfer. Courtesy of Detlef

Stammer, Scripps Institution

of Oceanography.

L o n g - T e r m R e c o m m e n d a t i o n s

To address the issues and roadblocks identifi ed by the ocean scienc-

es community, the OITI Steering Committee* recommends a sub-

stantial long-term investment in IT Infrastructure for ocean sciences.

This infrastructure would deployed in fl exible ways and managed by

a new entity called Ocean.IT (pronounced ocean I T). Ocean.IT will

serve four main functions.

1. Improve access to high-performance computational resources

across the ocean sciences. This will be accomplished by both

streamlining the current allocation procedure for shared resourc-

es, and by the acquisition of new hardware for dedicated use by

the ocean sciences community.

2. Provide technical support for maintenance and upgrade of lo-

cal IT Infrastructure resources. Ocean.IT will provide consulting

services to facilitate effi cient deployment of IT infrastructure

within institutions involved in oceanographic research. Staff will

be responsible for continuous technical evaluation of computing

and networking hardware options, will make recommendations

on computer software acquisition, and will provide guidance on

hardware and software installation.

3. Provide model, data, and software curatorship. Community mod-

els will be distributed through a central repository, with ongoing

documentation of algorithm development and improvement.

Archives of key data sets and model output will be served to fa-

cilitate their use in research by the wider community. A library of

diagnostic and visualization tools will be maintained.

4. Facilitate advanced applications programming. Technical support

and training will be provided to allow ocean scientists to take

maximum advantage of IT infrastructure resources, including

parallelization tools and advanced software interfaces.

H i g h - R e s o l u t i o n , M u l t i - S e n s o r D a t a S e t s o f t h e S e a f l o o r

“Nested surveys” are now a common strategy for mapping the

seafl oor at increasing resolution using different instruments (left).

With these surveys come vastly increased data volumes that must be

archived and made easily accessible to users. Tools for analysis and

visualization of these data are also critical needs. Courtesy of Debo-

rah K. Smith, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Suzanne

Carbotte, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.

* The OITI Steering Committee includes representatives

from academic and governmental institutions with a

range of information technology expertise.

O c e a n . I T W i l l �

• function like a scientifi c program offi ce and provide

leadership and advocacy for the infrastructure needs in

ocean sciences research areas that use and need infor-

mation technology.

• function as a resource center for hardware, software, ar-

chiving, data serving, technical training and consulting.

• provide both central and distributed human and techni-

cal resources.

C o m p u t a t i o n a l T o o l s

Simulations of ocean circulation from meters to global

scale carried out using the MIT general circulation model.

Courtesy of Alistair Adcroft, Chris Hill, and John Marshall,

Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

U r g e n t I s s u e s

The scientifi c case for enhanced Ocean Information Technology

Infrastructure (OITI) resources is founded on the experience de-

rived from a decade of global ocean programs and the scientifi c

challenges and opportunities identifi ed by two recent reports,

NSF Geosciences Beyond 2000 and Ocean Sciences at the New

Millennium. These reports, combined with community input

gleaned from a comprehensive survey of current and projected

information technology (IT) needs, identifi ed several urgent IT

infrastructure issues.

• Hardware capacity. A multi-fold increase in hardware capacity

is required to meet ocean sciences research goals in the next

ten years. The most critical bottlenecks are in the availability

of compute cycles, memory and mass-storage capacity, and

network bandwidth.

• Software systems. There are signifi cant challenges in the area

of software systems for effi cient use on massively parallel

computers. Signifi cant advances must be made in visualization

techniques to deal effectively with increasing volumes of ob-

servations and model output, and well-designed, documented,

and tested community models of all types are urgently needed.

• IT personnel. There is an extreme shortage of skilled IT infra-

structure personnel accessible to the ocean sciences commu-

nity. Steps must be taken to train and retain new IT specialists.

• Data systems. Novel IT approaches are needed to handle and

exploit the present and future data streams from experiments,

observing systems, and model runs. The challenge extends

beyond just the computational resources of handling the data

streams and requires advances in the way data streams are

documented, shared, and saved.

S c i e n t i f i c O p p o r t u n i t i e s i n O c e a n S c i e n c e s

• Ocean Turbulence• The Complex Coastal Ocean• Non-Equilibrium Ecosystem Dynamics• Long-Term Ocean Observations and Prediction• The Ocean’s Role in Global Climate• The Ocean Below the Seafl oor• Dynamics of Oceanic Lithosphere and Margins from Ocean Sciences at the New Millennium

0.7

aximum Vector

30.

Maximum Vector

G l o b a l O c e a n S t a t e E s t i m a t i o n

Ocean state estimation combines information from data and models

to obtain the best possible description of the changing ocean (be-

low). This technique will provide insights into the nature of climate-

related ocean variability, major ocean transport pathways, heat and

freshwater fl ux divergences, the location and rate of ventilation, and

the ocean’s response to atmospheric variability. State estimation

places very heavy demands on IT resources, from computational

cycles to memory, storage, and

data transfer. Courtesy of Detlef

Stammer, Scripps Institution

of Oceanography.

L o n g - T e r m R e c o m m e n d a t i o n s

To address the issues and roadblocks identifi ed by the ocean scienc-

es community, the OITI Steering Committee* recommends a sub-

stantial long-term investment in IT Infrastructure for ocean sciences.

This infrastructure would deployed in fl exible ways and managed by

a new entity called Ocean.IT (pronounced ocean I T). Ocean.IT will

serve four main functions.

1. Improve access to high-performance computational resources

across the ocean sciences. This will be accomplished by both

streamlining the current allocation procedure for shared resourc-

es, and by the acquisition of new hardware for dedicated use by

the ocean sciences community.

2. Provide technical support for maintenance and upgrade of lo-

cal IT Infrastructure resources. Ocean.IT will provide consulting

services to facilitate effi cient deployment of IT infrastructure

within institutions involved in oceanographic research. Staff will

be responsible for continuous technical evaluation of computing

and networking hardware options, will make recommendations

on computer software acquisition, and will provide guidance on

hardware and software installation.

3. Provide model, data, and software curatorship. Community mod-

els will be distributed through a central repository, with ongoing

documentation of algorithm development and improvement.

Archives of key data sets and model output will be served to fa-

cilitate their use in research by the wider community. A library of

diagnostic and visualization tools will be maintained.

4. Facilitate advanced applications programming. Technical support

and training will be provided to allow ocean scientists to take

maximum advantage of IT infrastructure resources, including

parallelization tools and advanced software interfaces.

H i g h - R e s o l u t i o n , M u l t i - S e n s o r D a t a S e t s o f t h e S e a f l o o r

“Nested surveys” are now a common strategy for mapping the

seafl oor at increasing resolution using different instruments (left).

With these surveys come vastly increased data volumes that must be

archived and made easily accessible to users. Tools for analysis and

visualization of these data are also critical needs. Courtesy of Debo-

rah K. Smith, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Suzanne

Carbotte, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.

* The OITI Steering Committee includes representatives

from academic and governmental institutions with a

range of information technology expertise.

O c e a n . I T W i l l �

• function like a scientifi c program offi ce and provide

leadership and advocacy for the infrastructure needs in

ocean sciences research areas that use and need infor-

mation technology.

• function as a resource center for hardware, software, ar-

chiving, data serving, technical training and consulting.

• provide both central and distributed human and techni-

cal resources.

I n f o r m a t i o n T e c h n o l o g yI n f r a s t r u c t u r e P l a n t o

A d v a n c e O c e a n S c i e n c e s

S p o n s o r e d b y t h e O f f i c e o f N a v a l R e s e a r c ha n d t h e N a t i o n a l S c i e n c e F o u n d a t i o n

t h r o u g h a n a w a r d t o N o e s i s , I n c .

E d i t i n g a n d d e s i g n b yG e o s c i e n c e s P r o f e s s i o n a l S e r v i c e s , I n c .

J u n e 2 0 0 2

S u m m a r y o f t h e

T o v i e w t h e f u l l p l a n v i s i t : w w w . g e o - p r o s e . c o m / o i t i / r e p o r t . h t m l

T o r e q u e s t a s i n g l e c o p y o f t h i s r e p o r t , � O c e a n S c i e n c e s a t t h e N e w M i l l e n n i u m , � o r� N S F G e o s c i e n c e s B e y o n d 2 0 0 0 , � w r i t e t o : D i v i s i o n o f O c e a n S c i e n c e s N a t i o n a l S c i e n c e F o u n d a t i o n4 2 0 1 W i l s o n B o u l e v a r d A r l i n g t o n , V A 2 2 2 3 0 o c e p u b s @ n s f . g o v

B a s i n - S c a l e E d d y - R e s o l v i n g B i o g e o c h e m i c a l S i m u l a t i o n s

Mesoscale (100s of km) eddies in the ocean are an important ve-

hicle for transporting nutrients to the surface where they are con-

sumed by plankton. Recent increases in computational capability,

together with progress in ocean modeling, have facilitated some

of the fi rst truly eddy-resolving, basin-scale simulations. Such cal-

culations provide a framework in which the impact of mesoscale

processes on biogeochemical cycling can be studied (above). A

signifi cant enhancement in computational infrastructure is re-

quired to study the productivity of ocean ecosystems with a more

appropriate degree of biogeochemical realism. Courtesy of Dennis

McGillicuddy, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

Temperature (C) at 5 m (SST); 5 Jul 1993

lati

tud

e

longitude-80 -60 -40 -20

-10

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

0

25°C

20°C

15°C

10°C

5°C

lati

tud

e

-10

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

longitude-80 -60 -40 -20 0

New Production, log10 (mmol N/m-/day); 5 Jul 1993

1

0.5

0

-0.5

-1

-1.5

-2

C o m p u t a t i o n a l T o o l s

Simulations of ocean circulation from meters to global

scale carried out using the MIT general circulation model.

Courtesy of Alistair Adcroft, Chris Hill, and John Marshall,

Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

U r g e n t I s s u e s

The scientifi c case for enhanced Ocean Information Technology

Infrastructure (OITI) resources is founded on the experience de-

rived from a decade of global ocean programs and the scientifi c

challenges and opportunities identifi ed by two recent reports,

NSF Geosciences Beyond 2000 and Ocean Sciences at the New

Millennium. These reports, combined with community input

gleaned from a comprehensive survey of current and projected

information technology (IT) needs, identifi ed several urgent IT

infrastructure issues.

• Hardware capacity. A multi-fold increase in hardware capacity

is required to meet ocean sciences research goals in the next

ten years. The most critical bottlenecks are in the availability

of compute cycles, memory and mass-storage capacity, and

network bandwidth.

• Software systems. There are signifi cant challenges in the area

of software systems for effi cient use on massively parallel

computers. Signifi cant advances must be made in visualization

techniques to deal effectively with increasing volumes of ob-

servations and model output, and well-designed, documented,

and tested community models of all types are urgently needed.

• IT personnel. There is an extreme shortage of skilled IT infra-

structure personnel accessible to the ocean sciences commu-

nity. Steps must be taken to train and retain new IT specialists.

• Data systems. Novel IT approaches are needed to handle and

exploit the present and future data streams from experiments,

observing systems, and model runs. The challenge extends

beyond just the computational resources of handling the data

streams and requires advances in the way data streams are

documented, shared, and saved.

S c i e n t i f i c O p p o r t u n i t i e s i n O c e a n S c i e n c e s

• Ocean Turbulence• The Complex Coastal Ocean• Non-Equilibrium Ecosystem Dynamics• Long-Term Ocean Observations and Prediction• The Ocean’s Role in Global Climate• The Ocean Below the Seafl oor• Dynamics of Oceanic Lithosphere and Margins from Ocean Sciences at the New Millennium

0.7

aximum Vector

30.

Maximum Vector

G l o b a l O c e a n S t a t e E s t i m a t i o n

Ocean state estimation combines information from data and models

to obtain the best possible description of the changing ocean (be-

low). This technique will provide insights into the nature of climate-

related ocean variability, major ocean transport pathways, heat and

freshwater fl ux divergences, the location and rate of ventilation, and

the ocean’s response to atmospheric variability. State estimation

places very heavy demands on IT resources, from computational

cycles to memory, storage, and

data transfer. Courtesy of Detlef

Stammer, Scripps Institution

of Oceanography.

L o n g - T e r m R e c o m m e n d a t i o n s

To address the issues and roadblocks identifi ed by the ocean scienc-

es community, the OITI Steering Committee* recommends a sub-

stantial long-term investment in IT Infrastructure for ocean sciences.

This infrastructure would deployed in fl exible ways and managed by

a new entity called Ocean.IT (pronounced ocean I T). Ocean.IT will

serve four main functions.

1. Improve access to high-performance computational resources

across the ocean sciences. This will be accomplished by both

streamlining the current allocation procedure for shared resourc-

es, and by the acquisition of new hardware for dedicated use by

the ocean sciences community.

2. Provide technical support for maintenance and upgrade of lo-

cal IT Infrastructure resources. Ocean.IT will provide consulting

services to facilitate effi cient deployment of IT infrastructure

within institutions involved in oceanographic research. Staff will

be responsible for continuous technical evaluation of computing

and networking hardware options, will make recommendations

on computer software acquisition, and will provide guidance on

hardware and software installation.

3. Provide model, data, and software curatorship. Community mod-

els will be distributed through a central repository, with ongoing

documentation of algorithm development and improvement.

Archives of key data sets and model output will be served to fa-

cilitate their use in research by the wider community. A library of

diagnostic and visualization tools will be maintained.

4. Facilitate advanced applications programming. Technical support

and training will be provided to allow ocean scientists to take

maximum advantage of IT infrastructure resources, including

parallelization tools and advanced software interfaces.

H i g h - R e s o l u t i o n , M u l t i - S e n s o r D a t a S e t s o f t h e S e a f l o o r

“Nested surveys” are now a common strategy for mapping the

seafl oor at increasing resolution using different instruments (left).

With these surveys come vastly increased data volumes that must be

archived and made easily accessible to users. Tools for analysis and

visualization of these data are also critical needs. Courtesy of Debo-

rah K. Smith, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Suzanne

Carbotte, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.

* The OITI Steering Committee includes representatives

from academic and governmental institutions with a

range of information technology expertise.

O c e a n . I T W i l l �

• function like a scientifi c program offi ce and provide

leadership and advocacy for the infrastructure needs in

ocean sciences research areas that use and need infor-

mation technology.

• function as a resource center for hardware, software, ar-

chiving, data serving, technical training and consulting.

• provide both central and distributed human and techni-

cal resources.

I n f o r m a t i o n T e c h n o l o g yI n f r a s t r u c t u r e P l a n t o

A d v a n c e O c e a n S c i e n c e s

S p o n s o r e d b y t h e O f f i c e o f N a v a l R e s e a r c ha n d t h e N a t i o n a l S c i e n c e F o u n d a t i o n

t h r o u g h a n a w a r d t o N o e s i s , I n c .

E d i t i n g a n d d e s i g n b yG e o s c i e n c e s P r o f e s s i o n a l S e r v i c e s , I n c .

J u n e 2 0 0 2

S u m m a r y o f t h e

T o v i e w t h e f u l l p l a n v i s i t : w w w . g e o - p r o s e . c o m / o i t i / r e p o r t . h t m l

T o r e q u e s t a s i n g l e c o p y o f t h i s r e p o r t , � O c e a n S c i e n c e s a t t h e N e w M i l l e n n i u m , � o r� N S F G e o s c i e n c e s B e y o n d 2 0 0 0 , � w r i t e t o : D i v i s i o n o f O c e a n S c i e n c e s N a t i o n a l S c i e n c e F o u n d a t i o n4 2 0 1 W i l s o n B o u l e v a r d A r l i n g t o n , V A 2 2 2 3 0 o c e p u b s @ n s f . g o v

B a s i n - S c a l e E d d y - R e s o l v i n g B i o g e o c h e m i c a l S i m u l a t i o n s

Mesoscale (100s of km) eddies in the ocean are an important ve-

hicle for transporting nutrients to the surface where they are con-

sumed by plankton. Recent increases in computational capability,

together with progress in ocean modeling, have facilitated some

of the fi rst truly eddy-resolving, basin-scale simulations. Such cal-

culations provide a framework in which the impact of mesoscale

processes on biogeochemical cycling can be studied (above). A

signifi cant enhancement in computational infrastructure is re-

quired to study the productivity of ocean ecosystems with a more

appropriate degree of biogeochemical realism. Courtesy of Dennis

McGillicuddy, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

Temperature (C) at 5 m (SST); 5 Jul 1993

lati

tud

e

longitude-80 -60 -40 -20

-10

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

0

25°C

20°C

15°C

10°C

5°C

lati

tud

e

-10

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

longitude-80 -60 -40 -20 0

New Production, log10 (mmol N/m-/day); 5 Jul 1993

1

0.5

0

-0.5

-1

-1.5

-2