[ESP] GO-ESSP Draft Mission Statement.

[Bryan Lawrence]

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:
>  Look great Chris,  
>  Two minor suggested edits below in bold.   Regards, Glenn
>
>  Chris Kerr wrote:
>
> 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 (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.
>
> 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,
> scientists, and data center providers, 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
>
> -------------------------------------------------------

-- 
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