Action 5: Cyber-infrastructure for climatic research management

Present activities & status

Action 5 attempts to build a cyber-infrastructure for climatic research management (CCRM) that will essentially contribute to the planning, development, maintenance and coordination of INRaSTES systems to help process and disseminate climate related information. The foreseen EnTeC actions will aid INRaSTES to develop and establish a long term sustainable data centre, hosting the data generated in the various R&D activities. CCRM is envisioned as a service-oriented, open-source, web-based network of climate research outcome, pollutant emissions, data repositories and existing and new data analysis tools. CCRM will focus on the following main areas relevant to climatic research:

• Air quality modeling,
 
• Data analysis, and forecasting;
 
• Emissions inventory development and assessment;
 
• Use of satellite and ground-based remote sensing information;
 
• Scientific visualization;
 
• Communication of air quality data to decision-makers and the public;
 
• Service-oriented architecture and software development

CCRM could additionally provide data hosting and access services to user groups from other relevant infrastructures in the Region, complemented with data from other relevant networks. Furthermore, NILU, one of the partnering Organisations will be directly involved in the development of the database in order to facilitate the transfer of suitable INRaSTES data in the EBAS global databases1. Indeed, the foreseen activities within EnTeC will allow for the linkage of INRaSTES climatic research to external infrastructures developed during previous EC projects. During the FP6 project EUSAAR the CLRTAP-EMEP database EBAS hosted by NILU was extended to accommodate the data on aerosol microphysical, optical, and chemical properties from all EUSAAR sites in traceable way with homogeneous quality assurance. EBAS contains the worldwide largest data collection on gas, particle, and precipitation phase air pollution parameters, covering not only Europe, but also North America, Africa, Asia, and Antarctica, more than 32000 data sets in total from more than 500 European sites. The first data are from as early as the year 1971.

Main tasks foreseen for the CCRM development:

Support INRaSTES scientists in reporting and disseminating their observations; organise and maintain the database in a long term sustainable system. The core objective is to consolidate the reporting of observations from field sites and results from the analytical facilities and organise measurement data and tools in such a way that their continuation is ensured beyond the present project period. (Approximately 9 months)

Provide access to all data users within INRaSTES through a local intra-net: The data web portal will provide the users with an easily accessible interface data for climate change and atmospheric science analysis as well as modelling applications. (Approximately 12 months)

Provide interface towards external user communities and European/Global databases: Facilitate the use of atmospheric observations Metadata and modelling results by the Regional and Global Community for a broad scientific community. Provide transfer of data1 from the INRaSTES infrastructure to European databases (currently EBAS) where all data from European sites with relevant databases are included form EMEP, GAW, EUSAAR. There will be a particular focus on applications combining atmospheric variables/parameters of high importance for the assessment of climate change and (chemical) weather forecast. (Approximately 21 months)

INTRP will organize meetings and other outreach efforts to educate/communicate with the broader air quality management and research community concerning the emerging cyberinfrastructure. A main objective will be to leverage existing organizations and forums within the community to raise awareness, provide training, and gather feedback concerning the elements of the air quality information system (a dedicated event will be hosted in the NCARD premises on the 18th month to present CCM to all regional policy makers, where as CM will be presented in every possible occasion by INTRP scientific personnel).