ICSU WDC Panel - Liaison Report

FAGS Meeting, April 2, 2007J.B. Minster 1

ICSU WDC Panel - Liaison Report

David ClarkSecretary, ICSU WDC PanelCEOS/WGISS – 23Hanoi, VietnamMay 24, 2007


World Data Centers…

…were created nearly 50 years ago, after the IGY, to manage geophysical and solar data on a global scale

…operate under the guidance of an ICSU (International Council for Science) panel

…are supported by host nations

…archive and disseminate data and information


WDC principles

“Full and Open Access”“WDCs will provide data to scientists in any country free of

charge or at a cost not to exceed the cost of copying and sending the requested data.”

• “WDCs operate … for the benefit of the international scientific community and provide a mechanism for international exchange of data in all disciplines related to the Earth, its environment, and the Sun.”



WDC Panel, March 2007Jean-Bernard Minster, Scripps Institution of Oceanography - Chair

Hartmut Grassl, Max Planck Institute for Meteorology – Vice Chair

David Clark, NOAA/NGDC – Secretary

Michael Chinnery, Treasurer

Takashi Watanabe, Ibaraki University – Japan Representative

Gennady Sobolev, Russian Academy of Sciences – Russia Representative

SUN Honglie, Chinese Academy of Sciences – China Representative

Ferris Webster, University of Delaware – US Representative


ICSU PAA for Scientific Data and Information

• Establish a Strategic Data and Information Committee– Develop a long term integrated framework for data and information– Establish a Scientific Data and Information Forum (SciDIF)

• SciDIF may not be needed, Strategic Committee for Information and Data (SCID) established for the next two years

• Recommendations for the World Data Centers– Implementation of new data management technologies– Adaptation to new scientific data collection methods– Relevance to existing ICSU programs– Relevance to new programs including GEO/GEOSS, IPY and eGY


Strategic Committee for Information and Data (SCID)

• An ad hoc ICSU strategic committee• To guide and oversee the reform of the WDC system

and the Federation of Astronomical and Geophysical Data Analysis Services (FAGS);

• To liaise with CODATA in the development of its strategic plan;

• To advise CSPR on any other actions that might be appropriate for ICSU in order to facilitate a coordinated global approach to scientific data and information.


SCID Membership• Ray HARRIS [chair] Geography, UK• Roberta BALSTAD [CSPR rep.] Social science, USA• Nicole CAPITAINE [FAGS] Astronomy, France• Michael DIEPENBROEK [WDC] Computer science, Germany• Kim FINNEY [IPY] Oceanography, Australia• Peter FOX [eGY] Mathematics, Australia/USA• Alexi GVISHIANI [CODATA] Geophysics, Russia• Toshio KOIKE [GEOSS] Engineering, hydrology, Japan• Bernard MINSTER [WDC] Geophysics, USA/France• Ruth NEILAN [FAGS] Geodesy, USA• Ray NORRIS [CODATA] Astronomy, Australia/UK• Alejandro PISANTY [CSPR nom] Chemistry/Computer Science,

Mexico• Daisy SELEMATSELA [ROA] Information Science, South Africa


Timetable

• March, 2007 WDC Panel meet• April FAGS Council meet• May WDC Directors meet, Bremen• July 1st SCID meeting• September interim report to CSPR• November 2nd SCID meet• Feb.,2008 report to CSPR• March 3rd SCID meet• October report to General Assembly


WDC Directors Conference Bremen, Germany, May 7-9 2007

• Followed WDC Panel meeting, March 29-30 at the ICSU Secretariat in Paris• Attendance by ~35 WDC Directors, and others (ICSU, GEO, CODATA, IODE,

National Data Center Directors, etc.)• Agenda included splinter group sessions on:

– Data quality and accessibility (open access)– Networking (infrastructures)– WDCs and GEOSS– Support of IPY

Preliminary outcomes:• Status quo not viable, must evolve to accommodate ICSU programs: IPY

priority, work with GEOSS as it develops• Closer coordination with FAGS and CODATA• Seek participation of southern hemisphere and emerging countries collaborators• Begin developing new WDC strategy for input to the SCID• Data quality a major concern, data publishing a good option• WDCs need to be networked and interoperable using modern IT techniques


Earth tidesGeomagnetism (2)GlaciologyRecent crustal movementsSolar activitySolar-terrestrial physicsSunspot index

Marine geology & geophysicsMeteorologyOceanographyRockets & satellitesRotation of the EarthSolar-terrestrial physicsSolid-earth geophysics

AirglowAuroraCosmic raysGeomagnetismIonosphereRadioactivitySolar radio emissionSpace science satellites

GlaciologyMeteorology

Marine geology & geophysicsOceanography

Rockets & SatellitesRotation of the Earth

Solar-terrestrial physicsSolid-earth geophysics

Seismology

AstronomyGeologyGeophysicsGlaciology & GeocryologyMeteorologyOceanographyRenewable ResourcesSeismologySpace Science

Soils

Atmospheric trace gasesRemotely sensed land data

Paleoclimatology

Geomagnetism

Solar-terrestrial science

Human interactions in the environment

Land cover

Marine environmental scienceAtmosphere remote sensingClimate

Biodiversity & ecology


Backup Slides


The Federation of Astronomical and Geophysical Data Analysis Services

(FAGS)

• Founded in 1956, re IGY• Astronomical and Geophysical data analysis

Services• 12 permanent data services mainly linked to

relevant unions• Very different, e.g. Glacier monitoring or space

environment• Based in USA, Europe, Japan• Overseen by the FAGS Council


CODATA

• Founded in 1966 to address generic data issues that transcend disciplines

• Own membership structure – National Members and Unions

• Broad range of activities including data policy development and capacity building


CODATA and theGEO Data Policy Task

• GEO 2006 Work Plan, Task DA-06-01 (continuing in GEO 2007-09 Work Plan)–Furthering the practical application of the agreed GEOSS data

sharing principles

• CODATA is now the lead on this task, working with the GEO Secretariat–White paper to be developed

• Declaration for next GEO Ministerial in South Africa in November 2007 to include data policy component


Expected GEO Task Outputs

1)“White” Paper on Guidelines for Implementing the GEOSS Data Sharing Principles– Writing team to include Bernard Minster and Dave Clark, WDC

Panel2)New language on data policy in the Declaration planned for the

November 2007 Ministerial Summit in Cape Town, S. Africa– “Finally, the Declaration should address data sharing principles.

Developing more open data policies and data sharing agreements in Earth Observation remains a priority for several GEO Members. The Declaration could identify specific goals to reduce data policy barriers to align with the GEO goal of ‘free and open exchange’ by a target date.”

3)Possibility of side event(s) in conjunction with Summit to address data policy issues

Documents

ICSU WDC Panel - Liaison Report