Subject: [ESP] GO-ESSP Draft Mission Statement.

From: "Chris Kerr" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2004 11:11:48 -0400

Gossip members:

Here is an initial draft of the GO-ESSP mission statement. Please send me
your comments/suggestions in the next couple of days.

Thanks

Chris

MISSION STATEMENT FOR THE GLOBAL ORGANIZATION FOR EARTH SYSTEM
SCIENCE PORTALS

Earth System Science Portals (GO-ESSP) is a collaboration designed to build
the next generation scalable software infrastructure needed to provide
internet access to observed and simulated data from the climate and weather
communities. GO-ESSP has been created to meet the challenge of developing the
individual software components and a federation of frameworks that can work
together using agreed-upon standards.

Previous generations of software have consisted of independent systems that
have been developed by individual institutions. The enormous demands for
climate and weather data have highlighted the need to create a software
infrastructure that can make this data more easily accessible to their
customers. The resource and technology demands necessary to create such an
infrastructure require that institutions work closely together to create such
an environment. The GO-ESSP has been created by software developers to meet
this demand.

GO-ESSP collaborations are intended to increase the availability of climate
and weather data to a range of communities. The traditional consumers of
climate and weather data have previously come from within the scientific
community. However, increasingly this information is being requested by
other communities including impacts researchers and policy and decision
makers. The challenge for GO-ESSP is to provide both access to and provide
mechanisms for data discovery to these diverse communities that is both
uniform and efficient.

The GO-ESSP collaborators realized early from the inception of the
organization that the distributed nature of the data served to the
communities would require that development must cross both agency and
international boundaries. GO-ESSP has evolved into a collaboration that
involves software developers from both Europe and the United States from
multiple agencies. The agencies supporting the GO-ESSP include NOAA, NASA,
DOE, NSF/UCAR, British Atmospheric Data Centre/NERC (UK), and the Central
Laboratory of the Research Councils (UK).

The goals of GO-ESSP are:

  Provide uniform access to earth systems data worldwide.

  Ensure earth systems data is made available to the widest possible range
  of users.

  Provide a forum that encourages discussion between earth systems data
  providers and its wide-range of users.

  Support better informed use of earth systems data.

  Improve data discovery, access, and analysis of earth system data.

  Provide a forum for international centers that distribute earth systems
  data.

  Provide an international forum for technical discussions of earth
  system science portal development.

  Develop standards for interfaces, protocols, schema, formats, and tools
  within the earth system science portal development community.

  Promote the use of and develop standards for the earth system science
  portal community.

  Provide a repository for "best" methodologies for development of earth
  system science portals.

  Strive toward open software development for earth system science portal
  development.

The multi-level architecture needed to be developed to meet the demands of
these communities requires advances in several key technologies. These
technologies fall into the following groups:

  Catalogs and Catalogs Services
  Distributed Search Capabilities
  Data Portal Design
  Security
  Services
  Vocabulary

Active collaborations occur within each of these groups, and yearly meetings
are used to update other GO-ESSP members on the advances that have
occurred since the last meeting.

More information about the Global Organization for Earth System Science
Portals and how to become actively involved in the organization can be
obtained from:

http://go-essp.gfdl.noaa.gov

-------------------------------------------------------

-- 
Dr. Christopher L. Kerr
Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory
Forrestal Campus
Princeton University                             
Princeton, New Jersey  08542
Telephone: (609) 452-6573
Fax:       (609) 987-5063
Email:     [email-masked]

---

From: "Glenn Rutledge" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2004 11:30:44 -0400

Look great Chris,

Two minor suggested edits below in bold.   Regards, Glenn

Chris Kerr wrote:

Gossip members:

Thanks

Chris

internet (remove internet- howabout the grid? re: OPeNDAP-G) access to observed and simulated data from the climate and weather

an environment. The GO-ESSP has been created by software developers, scientists, and data center providers, to meet
this demand.

---

From: Bryan Lawrence <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2004 17:01:27 +0100

Hi Folks

Wrt Glenn's suggested modifications: I like the second (adding scientists and 
data providers to the list ... I would wouldn't I :-), but not the first. I 
think "Internet" is less politically charged, and is more inclusive than 
"grid" ...

Cheers,
Bryan

On Monday 19 July 2004 16:30, Glenn Rutledge wrote:
> internet (remove internet- howabout the grid? re: OPeNDAP-G) access to
> observed and simulated data from the climate and weather communities.
> GO-ESSP has been created to meet the challenge of developing the individual
> software components and a federation of frameworks that can work together
> using agreed-upon standards.
>
> infrastructure require that institutions work closely together to create
> such an environment. The GO-ESSP has been created by software developers,
> scientists, and data center providers, to meet this demand.
>
> Active collaborations occur within each of these groups, and yearly
> meetings are used to update other GO-ESSP members on the advances that have

-- 
Bryan Lawrence,        Head NCAS/British Atmospheric Data Centre
Web: badc.nerc.ac.uk                      Phone: +44 1235 445012
CCLRC: Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, OX11 0QX

---

From: "V. Balaji" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2004 12:21:36 -0400 (EDT)

> think "Internet" is less politically charged, and is more inclusive than 

What he said!

(I'm glad I saw Bryan's mail before saying the same thing... "grid"
can raise hackles.)
-- 

V. Balaji                               Office:  +1-609-452-6516
Head, Modeling Systems Group, GFDL      Home:    +1-212-253-6662
Princeton University                    Email: [email-masked]

---

From: Jonathan Callahan <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2004 09:43:46 -0700

All,

I'm in agreement with Bryan and Balaji.

Having missed the Princeton meeting and avoided the recent email 
discussions I'd like to take a moment to congratulate the group on 
coming to consensus on the trinity of acronym--logo--mission statement.  
Reaching consensus on such fundamental and personal taste driven items 
can be difficult and the results often show it.  The fact that I am very 
satisfied with the results without having participated speaks well of 
the commonly held vision.  Kudos to all who made it happen.

I look forward to more active participation on my part as we move into 
the nitty gritty of software interoperability now that we appear to have 
vision statement interoperability under wraps.

Cheers to all,

-- Jon

---

From: "Glenn Rutledge" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2004 12:59:19 -0400

Just to clarify-  my thinking was to omit the word internet.  Not insert
grid (I'm aware of the issues...).  Thus, we don't limit future possibilities.
That's all.  GR

Bryan Lawrence wrote:

Hi Folks

Cheers,
Bryan

Look great Chris,

Chris Kerr wrote:

Gossip members:

Thanks

Chris

---

From: "Eric Marshall" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2004 16:05:04 -0400

Would 'distributed' work as a replacement for internet/grid?

Is it worth mentioning not only the growth of the audience but the growth of the amount of 
data generated (and the resultant complexity in finding, slicing, servering, etc.the 
proverbial needle as found in larger and larger haystacks)?

 >The goals of GO-ESSP are:
should be
 >The goals of GO-ESSP are to:
or add the word 'to' to the front of each item.

Eric

Glenn Rutledge wrote:
> grid (I'm aware of the issues...).  Thus, we don't limit future 
> possibilities.  That's all.  GR
> 
> Bryan Lawrence wrote:
> 
>>Hi Folks
>>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> _______________________________________________
> ESP mailing list
> [email-masked]
> http://mailman.ucar.edu/mailman/listinfo/esp

-- 
Eric W. Marshall
609 452-6673

Raytheon on-site at:
Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory
P O Box 308              Princeton NJ 08542

The opinions expressed in this message are my own and do not necessarily
reflect those of the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, Raytheon,
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
the International House of Pancakes nor the U. S. Department of Commerce.

---

From: "Glenn Rutledge" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2004 16:14:51 -0400

I like that- distributed.  It also points out the partnership aspect of 
GO-ESSP right up front.   GR

Eric Marshall wrote:

> Is it worth mentioning not only the growth of the audience but the 
> growth of the amount of data generated (and the resultant complexity 
> in finding, slicing, servering, etc.the proverbial needle as found in 
> larger and larger haystacks)?
>
>> Just to clarify-  my thinking was to omit the word internet.  Not 
>> insert grid (I'm aware of the issues...).  Thus, we don't limit 
>> future possibilities.  That's all.  GR
>>
>> Bryan Lawrence wrote:
>>
>>> Hi Folks
>>>
>>> Wrt Glenn's suggested modifications: I like the second (adding 
>>> scientists and data providers to the list ... I would wouldn't I 
>>> :-), but not the first. I think "Internet" is less politically 
>>> charged, and is more inclusive than "grid" ...
>>>
>>> Cheers,
>>> Bryan
>>>
>>>> Look great Chris,  Two minor suggested edits below in bold.   
>>>> Regards, Glenn
>>>>
>>>> Chris Kerr wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Gossip members:
>>>>