Constructing a first-generation Constructing a first-generation

cyberinfrastructure to support cyberinfrastructure to support

ecological forecasting

Understanding and Forecasting Ecological Change: 3rd Annual SymposiumUnderstanding and Forecasting Ecological Change: 3rd Annual Symposium

February 20, 2009

Joshua S. Campbell

CyberinfrastructureCyberinfrastructure

� Cyberinfrastructure (CI) is the application of information technology to the problem of efficiently connecting data, computers, and people with the goal of enabling data, computers, and people with the goal of enabling the discovery of novel scientific theories and knowledge.

� Utilizes IT

Connecting� Connecting

� Distributed science

VisionVision

� To share KBS data via the web

� Identify, Organize, Metadata, Publish

� Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI)Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI)

� Designed to support ecological forecasting� Designed to support ecological forecasting

� Land cover

� Kansas Field Station and Ecological Reserves (KSR)� Kansas Field Station and Ecological Reserves (KSR)

� Hydrology

MotivationMotivation

� Unrealized Value

� Network Effects

� NSF’s vision of Cyberinfrastructure

� Sharing is the new research paradigm

StakeholdersStakeholders

� Scientific Community

� Increase knowledge inside ecoforecasting community about available datasetsavailable datasets

� Participate with a global research community� Participate with a global research community

� Public Outreach

� Provide decision-makers and citizens access to KBS science

Ecoforecasting and CIEcoforecasting and CI

� Utilizes a range of atmospheric, geological, hydrological, ecological, biological, and cultural dataecological, biological, and cultural data

� Geography is the unifying framework

� GIS provides the computational framework

� Maps are a primary data interface

How will users interact with the data?How will users interact with the data?

Designing Cyberinfrastructure Designing Cyberinfrastructure (National Academies Workshop, June 2007, http://cyberinfrastructure.us/)

� Open standards

� Proprietary platforms (linking)� Proprietary platforms (linking)

� Open source software� Open source software

� Open access publishing� Open access publishing

� Simplified data licenses (Science Commons)

� Access management systems

Data OrganizationData Organization

ApplicationsApplications

Web ServicesWeb Services

DatasetsDatasets

System DesignSystem Design

� 3 Components

� ArcGIS Server

� GeoNetwork

� KARS website redesign

� Redundant and Discoverable

DemosDemos

� KSR Web Map

� GeoNetwork� GeoNetwork

� Interactive Map

� Data DownloadData Download

� Google Earth� Google Earth

� ArcGIS REST Services� ArcGIS REST Services

Web application is ‘consuming’ two web servicestwo web services

Hyperlink provides direct access to the direct access to the GeoNetwork metadata catalog

Each web service is built from individual datasets

GeoNetwork provides GeoNetwork provides search capabilities based on keyword, geographic location, KBS division, and location, KBS division, and type of data

A built-in interactive map viewer allows data to be visualized and queried visualized and queried prior to download

Data can be downloaded in a number of formats, a number of formats, including shapefile, KML, WMS and REST

Provides direct access to the ESRI REST services pageservices page

HTML representation of all services running on the serverHTML representation of all services running on the server

REST services can be viewed in a number of clients

Google can find and index both attributes and geographyGoogle can find and index both attributes and geography

Supported Interfaces and Operations allow direct Supported Interfaces and Operations allow direct programmatic access to the service. This allows the data to be used in distributed modeling applications, without having to be downloaded.

Where are we going?Where are we going?

� Increase functionality of the system

� Add more datasets

� Create ‘geoprocessing’ web services

� Increase users

� New dynamic-HTML website

ChallengesChallenges

� Technology

� Scientific research and IT are two distinct skillsets

� WebGIS is not the same as desktop GIS

� Culture� Culture

� Data is power (or so researchers think)� Data is power (or so researchers think)

� F.U.D. (Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt)

� Extra work to provide metadata� Extra work to provide metadata

Questions…?Questions…?

� KBS system is still beta

� System is expected to be operational this summer

� Email� Email

� jsc1@ku.edu� jsc1@ku.edu