Musings on the Reproducibility of Unidata

Principles for Success in Collaboration Experiments

Among NSF-funded efforts, Unidata has been an unusually collaborative success story

This success derives, at least in part, from the application of principles that may be critical in other collaborative contexts.

Two Assertions

A sense of community ownership◦ Earliest plans thru latest “Strategic Outlook”

Traits like those defining a “collaboratory”◦ See Fulker, Bates, Jacobs in BAMS 1997

Decentralized organization & architecture◦ Multiple data sources to multiple recipients

with no data center◦ Reliance on cooperating tool builders

Unidata as Collaboration

• Jim Collins Good to Great (2001):–Disciplined thought–Disciplined action– Persistent core

• Treacy & Wiersema Harvard Business Review (1993):– Primary alignment with 1 of 3 value disciplines• Operational Excellence• Customer Relations• Product Leadership

Principles Underlying Successespecially pertinent to collaboration (my view)

Willingness to confront reality A simple, coherent strategic concept

Unidata manifestation◦ Constant reminders (Policy & Users Committees)

about real customer needs & fiscal constraints◦ Program renewal via peer-reviewed proposals◦ Strategic focus on building/providing tools

(catalysts, not completed reactions)

Collins – Disciplined Thought

Willingness to say “no” Clear assignment of responsibilities Advancement as a cumulative process

Unidata manifestation◦ Simple governance model (under UCAR)◦ NSF exerts (strong) leadership & (patient) support◦ Successfully conducting long-term development

alongside (immediate) user support

Collins – Disciplined Action

An enduring purpose Immutable core values (as basis for

advances)

Unidata manifestation◦ Current strategy likely resonates with founders◦ Remarkable core values, such as

Continuous rebalancing of development vs. support Centrifugal force (distributed functionality…) Smart use of abstractions

Collins – Persistent Core

Primary alignment with one of three value disciplines (while attending to the other two)◦ Operational Excellence (Dell, e.g.)◦ Customer Relations (IBM, e.g.)◦ Product Leadership (Apple, e.g.)

Opinions may differ on which is primary for Unidata…

Treacy & Wiersema – Alignment

Unidata manifestation◦ Data access & sharing via community-owned data

relays (IDD) & servers (THREDDS…)◦ Data analysis & visualization via free (mostly

open-source) software◦ Well established reliability record

Is this the primary discipline?◦ May be most important factor for users with small

budgets but some computing experience

Operational Excellence(price point, as at Dell, e.g.)

Unidata manifestation◦ High expertise dedicated to support◦ Training workshops◦ User meetings

Is this the primary discipline?◦ May be most important factor for users with the

least computing experience (or heavy reliance on student operation)

Customer Relations(knowing customer needs intimately, as at IBM, e.g.)

Unidata manifestation◦ Truly unique software (important abstractions)

netCDF IDD/LDM IDV, Bundles (on VisAD) RAMADA, THREDDS, LEAD

Is this the primary discipline?◦ May be most important factor for expanding into

new communities

Product Innovation(leading-edge design, as at Apple, e.g.)

While Unidata success clearly depends on◦ Operational excellence◦ Customer intimacy

Unidata has evolved to be a design-centered organization, and the primary value discipline (defining Unidata’s future) is◦ Product leadership

A Subjective Opinion

My WAG: Unidata’s product leadership will significantly affect scientific “publication” (as that notion evolves…)◦ Data references will be common in bibliographies◦ Increasingly complex ideas (requiring data and

“bundles” to describe them) will take shape collaboratively in wiki- or blog-like contexts

◦ The speed of idea propagation will increase◦ Libraries will become Unidata users

Even More Subjectively

Unidata probably is reproducible (in other fields, e.g.) with attention to principles

Key principles underlie Unidata because the individuals who shaped the program (many of them in this room) applied them instinctively

Thanks for a fun ride!

Concluding Observations