GIS at UCAR

The evolution of NCAR’s GIS Initiative

Olga Wilhelmi – ESIG-NCARUnidata Workshop

24 June, 2003

Why GIS?

More questions about various climatological, meteorological, hydrological and environmental issues, that require cross-discipline data or knowledge.Need for quantitative methodologies and tools to access, extract,

analyze, and disseminate the required data and information.GIS makes it possible to combine data and procedures for visualization, integration, spatial analysis, storage, and sharing of information. GIS is widely accepted in the geo-sciences but their extra value for meteorological applications is still under-used.

Why GIS at NCAR?

NCAR as an “integrator”— a center for the broad geosciences community that brings together the ideas, the people, and the tools to address scientific questions of critical importance to society.

– Interdisciplinary research– Spatial data and analysis– Knowledge sharing and education– Connection to universities– New generation of scientists

Systematic methods for organizing, sharing, and integrating geospatial information are essential to advancing earth system science and other aspects of the geosciences.

The meaning of “GIS”

Geographic information science – multidisciplinary field concerned with developing a theoretical basis for GIS

– Cognitive science– Geography– Cartography– Information science– Computer science

Research for spatial cognition, data collection, representation in digital data models, spatial analysis, visualization…

The meaning of “GIS”

Broad range of spatial information systemsGeographic information systems – a system of hardware, software, data, people, organizations, and institutional arrangements for collecting, storing, analyzing and disseminating information about areas of the earth.

Dueker and Kjerne (1989)

GIS in atmospheric community

Custom-developed expert systems

Expert systems

Well-suited for atmospheric applications

Limited integration of atmospheric science data and research with data and research from other geo-and social sciences

GIS in geo- and social community

Non-expert systemsCommercial GIS packages

Commercial GIS

Widely used in geo- and social sciences

Represent only a limited range of concepts and models for representing geographic space

GIS Strategic Initiative

Goal of the initiative is to promote and support the use of GIS as both an analysis and an infrastructure tool in atmospheric research and

To address broader issues of data management and geoinformatics within the geo-sciences

Objectives

Not a radical introduction of GIS into an atmospheric community…

Rather, reevaluation of existing GIS technologies in light of recent GIS advances.

Integration and user-friendly data exchange

Interoperability between expert and non-expert applications

More end-users

First Steps (2001-2002)

Assessment of users, technology and potential applicationsSeminar seriesWorkshop on GIS in Weather, Climate and Impacts

– State-of-the-art technology,– Research applications– Data, visualization, interoperability

Phase II (2003-2005)

Developing an integrated GIS Program across UCAR

– Education, training and user support

– Research enabled by GIS

– Data and web services

– Research in GIS technology

Some Guiding Principles

GIS education and software training are critical factors in ease of technology adoption.Demonstration projects are the most effective means to uncovering issues, testing solutions, and highlighting successes.Seek to address interoperability through a Web services approachfor managing data and publishing content.Our legacy systems are important resources that must be considered in all interoperability requirements.

Education, training and user support

GIS education and support

Seminars educational lecture seriesWorkshops on GIS in Atmospheric Science

– August 2002 - “GIS in Weather, Climate and Impacts”– Summer 2004 - TBD

GIS services center– GIS training program– Establish a GIS users group– GIS expertise and technical support

Research Enabled by GIS

GIS Demonstration Project - IHOP

Focus - to examine both commercial and open source approaches to data interoperability in GIS environments

– Open GIS Consortium – defines middleware architecture for geospatial information. A consortium of government, academic and technical members that guide the development and adoption of OpenGIS specifications

Web Mapping Server, Web Feature Server NCAR legacy data stores

– Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI)ArcGIS, ArcIMS, ArcSDERelational database management tools

IHOP domain

Over 250 researchers, 6 aircrafts, large number of sensors (> 60)Widely varying needs for spatial data display, analysis and dissemination

Opportunity to explore GIS interoperability

Data

Types of data collected during IHOP included aircraft, mesonet, land surface, model outputs, wind profilers, radars, satellite, soundings, wind profilers..

Data selection criteria– Level of dataset demand (e.g., soundings)– Applicability to scientific collaborators involved in this GIS

demonstration (e.g., land surface – atmosphere interactions research questions)

– Availability of associated geo-referenced meta-data– Availability of existing data format decoders

Based on selection criteria, the demonstration project is focusing on upper air soundings, surface mesonet, aircraft flux measurements, land surface satellite, and radar.

Project’s framework

OGC Track

In order to employ an OGC approach, NCAR/UCAR are participating in the OGC conformance and interoperability test and evaluation (CITE) initiative as a beta release site for OGC-sanctioned, open source implementation of OpenGIS services.

The reference servers are now installed and running.

The next step is to extend the OGC servers with a connector to the IHOP subset database.

OGC Web Mapping Server

Preliminary observations

Open GIS ConsortiumBenefits

Promoted heavily within national and international standards efforts, e.g., Geospatial One-Stop, GSDIDefines only the interface not the backend, thus the implementations can be tailored to the organizational needsRemoves reliance on a single vendor solution

Preliminary observations

Open GIS ConsortiumLimitations

Early development of specifications results in software development aimed at a moving targetFew examples are available for referenceLack of how-to documentation, training, or educational materialCurrently limited to simple features (WFS) and images (WMS)

ESRI Track

File-based conversions– Currently ESRI software does not support common

atmospheric data formats (e.g., netCDF). – Data decoders were developed and used to bring selected

observational data into ArcGIS

Observational Data Model

Prototype geodatabaseIHOP Observational Data Model was developed using the common Universal Modeling language (UML) for object oriented design. The data model encapsulates geospatial quantitative, time varying data (features) as well as qualitative field experiment information.

ESRI Internet Mapping Server

Preliminary observations

ESRIBenefits

A broad user baseA de facto standard for spatial information exchangeMany compatible datasets available, through both direct connections to servers as well as indirect file sharingDirect access to data on the Internet via g.netStrong educational and training products availableGood user interfaces to ArcGIS productsExcellent digital cartographic toolsVery large API for application development and customization (ArcObjects)

Preliminary observations

ESRILimitations

Windows oriented (for Linux and Unix users)Limited ability for managing time varying, large, complex n-dimensional datasetsDirect dependence on RDBMS technology necessitates new mappings of atmospheric data to relational database model

Preliminary conclusions

Both OGC and ESRI approaches are beneficial to GIS interoperabilityCollaborative partnerships are important

– To promote deeper understanding of the technology– Help to advance GIS technology with respect to atmospheric

science

Partnerships: NCAR-OGC

The goal of this cooperation is to work together to accelerate the development of OpenGIS technology within the atmospheric sciences and to extend OpenGIS specifications to include the geospatial processing needs of the atmospheric community.

Partnerships: NCAR-ESRI

Advancing GIS technical methods and technologies.Exploring the development of atmospheric information and models within GIS domains.Working jointly and fulfilling research and application projects.Supporting education and developing educational materials for a variety of audiences associated with GIS and atmospheric science.

Research enabled by GIS…

Data and Web Services

“…to make data and information services uniformly available with easy access to scientific data independent of how and where they are collected and stored.”

- Data Management Working Group (DMWG) -

Data and Web Services

In collaborations with DMWG identify and promote technologies that support a coherent and federated approach to managing and publishing UCAR’s data Clearinghouse of GIS-friendly translators for common atmospheric data formatsInternet Servers

Internet Mapping - Data Portal - GIS

Data access over the internet

Integration of Efforts

Within UCAR:– GIS Advisory Group (GAG)– Data Management Working Group (DMWG)– Knowledge Environment for the Geosciences (KEG)– Community Data Portal (CDP)

Research in GIS Technology

Research in GIS Technology

Establishing metrics for evaluating the practical limits of GIS and RBDMS.Advances in the area of 4-D and real-time data management in a GIS frameworkData models for atmospheric science

GIS Program Development

Conduct demonstration projectsEstablish university relationships: projects, joint proposals, visiting program for students and facultyBuild strong collaborative partnershipsEstablish GIS in Atmospheric Science consortium

2002 workshop recommendations

Need for effective communication and collaboration among researchers, GIS developers, practitionersNeed for developing organization-wide GIS infrastructure

– Staff and resources– Interoperability between GIS and atmospheric models

Training and education of atmospheric scientists in GIS

Where we are now?

Much of a year went on gathering resources, building partnerships, training in GIS, coming up to speed on GIS interoperability technologies, and evaluating architectural tradeoffs for systems integration.GIS Program, NCAR GIS Coordinator, UCAR-wide ESRI site license, educational and training program, escalating number of new proposals, joint projects, growing interest in GIS.Interoperability demonstration project is underway.Strategic partnerships with ESRI and OGC.Formation of Atmospheric SIG at ESRI user conference.

Challenges

“the application of GIS is limited only by the imagination of those who use it” – J. DangermondOrganizational Change

– Leading by example– Slow “visible” productivity in the beginning– Education

Data exchange formatsUser-friendly data and information exchangeTechnology challenges

– 4D real time data

Other efforts

Session on GIS in meteorology at AMS annual meetingGeospatial One-Stop

– ESRI and OGC tracksWMO work on metadata and standardsNOAA and NWS - Internet Mapping ServersEurope – Sessions on GIS in meteorology and climatology since 2000COST-719:

– to broaden and enhance the potential of GIS in the fields of climatology and meteorology by developing applications in those fields, with emphasis on the procedures and capabilities for integrating and adding value to data from various sources and onquality control and presentation of climate and other related data

Benefits of using GIS

Better access to scientific informationIncreased number of users of atmospheric science data and productsNew research areas enabled by GISExpanding modeling of reality Coupling of weather data to the surface activitiesCollaboration with private sector, government agenciesIncreased educational opportunities (K-12 to policy)

http://www.gis.ucar.edu

Olga WilhelmiTerri Betancourt Jennifer Boehnert Thanks!