The Consortium will promote discovery by supporting community-based climate change science through enhanced interoperability between models and other software components, improved access to and usability of Consortium data products through the adoption of standards-based data management and access models, and new data assimilation, analysis, and visualization capabilities.
Community science and virtual organizations are essential for addressing complex, large-scale challenges like climate change. The proposed collaborative CI development will overcome existing challenges by focusing on two closely related activities:
1. Creating a model and software interoperability framework: The team will establish a model and software interoperability framework based on emerging national and international standards, along with scenarios and applications that make use of that framework. The framework will allow users to specify, maintain, and update -- through a central user interface and a common methodology -- a collection of software tools, and the interconnections between tools needed to accomplish climate research tasks.
2. Building an interoperable data archive: The Consortium will implement a data archive model that is based upon open data and metadata standards and supports standard data interoperability models. The interoperable data archive will enable streamlined discovery of and access to data products generated by all three state EPSCoR programs.
EPSCoR Track 2 investments will provide new model and data interoperability solutions and an integrative software framework that will transform exploration, experimentation, and innovation in climate research. Project activities will build upon existing resources within Idaho, Nevada, and New Mexico, and are designed to leverage other major NSF-supported initiatives (including CUAHSI HIS, GEON, and CSDMS). The project will significantly reduce the difficulty in finding, accessing, and using the diverse data products available in the Consortium.
Consortium results (data and models) and resources (archives) will become readily accessible to the broader community of environmental scientists, decision makers, students, and the public.