An Overview

AGU Fall Meeting15-19 December 2008, San Francisco, CA

An Overview

R.C. Groman, M.D. Allison, C.L. Chandler D.M. Glover and P.H. Wiebe

Woods Hole Oceanographic InstitutionWoods Hole, MA, USA

Making Data Available via the Biologicaland Chemical Oceanography Data

Management Office


One year ago: Introduction

Today: Overview and Summary of Capabilities

•Data access

•Data discovery

•Download options

•Display

•Interoperability features


+

=The Goal:Improved accessibilityto Ocean ScienceData


www.bco-dmo.org

Data interfaces


JGOFS/GLOBEC Data Management System

Traditional tabular view

• A simple and relatively straightforward way to make ASCII data available on the web.

• Public domain, free software used to serve US JGOFS, US GLOBEC, and other data over the Internet.

• Distributed data servers (about 12 computers) located at several sites.



Geospatial Interface Using MapServer

Uses OGC interfacestandards: WMS andWFS

View data fromdifferent sources

Provides access to geo-referenced dataand metadata.

Visualize data with graphics generated“on the fly”






Key to Interoperability is through the metadata.


•Needed to replace the text-based metadata records with a more structured approach

•Several false starts, e.g. XML

•Standards, yes, of course, but which one(s)? GCMD(DIF)? FGDC?

BUT…



–Design concepts:Keep the design simple

Step-wise (iterative) improvement

Take full advantage of the ease of database modifications provided by modern relational database systems.

A Metadata Database!!

MySQL


Metadata Database Schema


This is a lot of data!!

31 projects from9 programs.

2380+ datasets

(so far)


We currently have a rudimentary search on each page.

etc.

(We are working on an advanced search.)


•Standards are evolving and we are prepared to exchange data in whatever exchange formats are developed. We are already working with the Marine Metadata Interoperability project on semantic interoperability. Syntactic interoperability is next.

Metadata = Interoperability

•The goal is to be able to display, synthesize, and share data when the data were collected by many different means, using many different instruments, and may even be called by different names. We aren’t there quite yet but we have made a good start.

•It is the availability, accessibility, and completeness of metadata that enable people to share their data with others.

•Metadata records have been designed to support re-use of the data and are stored in a relational database (MySQL).


Summary

The Biological and Chemical Oceanography Data Management Office makes data available through its website, www.bco-dmo.org.

The data are accessible in a text-based tabular view using the JGOFS/GLOBECData Management System or a geospatial view using the OGC-compliant MapServer Interface.

The data are downloadable via the text interface in ASCII, Matlab or NetCDF and via theMapServer interface using WFS and WMS.

There are many display options available for quick looks at the data from both interfaces.

A rudimentary search capability exists and a more advanced capability is almost ready.

With the capabilities inherent in the Metadata database, BCO-DMO is ready to tackle the next obstacle to achieving true data interoperability.

http://www.bco-dmo.org/


Acknowledgments

• Co-authors and partners in crime: Bob Groman, Cyndy Chandler, Peter Wiebe and David Glover

• Charlton Galvarino, Xiaoyan Ye and Julie Allen for making it possible for the MapServer, the Search capability and the website to access and use the Metadata Database

• Particular thanks to the gang at MMI led by John Graybeal because without that workshop a couple of weeks ago, I would still be totally clueless about semantic interoperability.

• NSF for their support.

Documents

An Overview