The Process for Achieving Interoperability in GEOSS

AGU Fall MeetingIN43C-08

Contributors

• Siri Jodha Singh KhalsaNational Snow and Ice Data Center, Univ. Colorado & IEEE

• Stefano NativiItalian National Research CouncilUniversity of Florence at Prato

• David ThomasWorld Meteorological Organization

• Tim AhernIRIS Data Management Center

• Ryosuke ShibasakiCenter for Spatial Information Science, University of Tokyo

What is GEOSS?•GEOSS is a distributed data and information system of systems based on international cooperation efforts and focused on providing societal benefits.

•The intergovernmental Group on Earth Observations (GEO) is a voluntary partnership (72 countries + EC and 52 POs) focused on creating a system that will provide earth observations in a Comprehensive, Coordinated and Sustained fashion.

Interoperability in GEOSS is a primary concern of GEO, given the wide diversity and essential independence of

component systems contributed to GEOSS.

GEOSS Approach

• The purpose and design of the GEOSS architecture is centered on the goal of enabling and promoting synergy among diverse and independent systems

• Interactions of contributed systems are confined to well-defined service interfaces– Minimizes the impact to the component systems participating

in GEOSS– Requires that we define and record precisely what happens

at these system interfaces– Interactions should take place according to well-defined

standards, preferably open, international standards.

Interoperability Process

• The 1st task in the 1st GEO Workplan under the Architecture category was– “Establish and maintain a process for reaching

interoperability arrangements..”• Process should recognize existing

standards in use by GEOSS components– promote and encourage their adoption by other

participants– extend and broaden whatever consensus has

been achieved on common solutions

• This task also established a Standards and Interoperability Forum to provide advice, expertise and impartial guidance on standards and interoperability issues for GEOSS.

GEOSS Interoperability Principles

• Many components contributed to GEOSS are already capable of interoperating

• Disparate disciplines that do not traditionally interact may lack established common standards necessary for interoperability

• Not all GEOSS components will interface to a single common architecture– It is likely that GEOSS, at least in its initial stages, will

comprise many unique arrangements in which a small number of systems exchange data to achieve specific goals

– Process aimed at resolving interoperability issues that arise in the course of establishing these goal-oriented data exchanges

GEOSS Standards Registry

• The GEOSS Standards Registry is the reference database of interoperability arrangements for GEOSS– Services registered in the Service Registry

reference standards, or other interoperability “Special Arrangements” registered in the Standards Registry

– These standards describe the access protocols, data formats, schema, and other information necessary to access and utilize a GEOSS resource

GEOSSComponents

GEOSSServices

GEOSSStandards

GEOSS Special Arrangements

exposereference

maybecome

nominate

GEO Members and

ParticipatingOrganizations

offer

GEOSS Registries

U.S.A. IEEE

UDDI ebRS CSW SRU Web UIWeb UI

SIFExternal

StandardsBodies

Subject Matter

Experts

Supported access

protocols

Interoperability Special Arrangements

• Although GEO encourages the use of open international standards, GEOSS must also accommodate the use of ad hoc standards and other community practices

• The GEO ADC Standards and Interoperability Forum oversees the process for entering special arrangements into the Standards Registry

GEOSS Architecture

GEOSS Component and Service Registries

GEO PortalStandards and Interoperability

Forum

Users

GEOSS Clearinghouse

GEOSS Standards and Interoperability Registry

Standards Special Arrangements

ComponentsRegistry

ServicesRegistry

GEOSS Components & Services

Community Catalogs

GEOSS Contributor

Interoperability Process Pilot Project

• An Interoperability Process Pilot Project was conceived as a way to begin implementing the GEOSS infrastructure and exercising the interoperability process

• An initial set of disparate data systems was identified to participate through a set of interoperability scenarios

IP3 Scenarios

Weather Climate Air Quality

BiodiversitySpecies

Response to Climate Change

SeismologyLandslide Risk,

Fault LubricationGlacier Dynamics

and Seismic Events

ClimateCoordinated Energy and Water-Cycle

Observations

Health Meningitis Early Warning System Public Alerts

Implementation of Biodiversity Scenario

GEOSSRegistry

IPCC (NCAR) and Environmental Data

Ecological Niche Model

Implemented onOpenModeller

Server

In-situBiodiversityRecords

GI-cat/GI-go

GBIF Registry

Mediation Metadata Model: ISO 19115 core profile

Some Issues Revealed by IP3

• Attempting to register components and services unveiled issues with initial versions of GEO registries– Yielded valuable input from specific communities

• Catalog metadata must be adequate to support decisions on appropriate use– NCAR helped component developers fine tune their

requirements, which is not something that can be automated.

• Clearinghouse and Portal functions required in order to fully exercise the process

• Conformance testing and capturing user experience being addressed by SIF

Summary

• The IP3 is helping to develop and refine the The IP3 is helping to develop and refine the core infrastructure and interoperability core infrastructure and interoperability process for GEOSSprocess for GEOSS

• GEOSS interoperability process must operate GEOSS interoperability process must operate within a voluntary consensus frameworkwithin a voluntary consensus framework– There are technical, political and social dimensions There are technical, political and social dimensions

to considerto consider• Nominations for SIF Subject Matter Experts Nominations for SIF Subject Matter Experts

soughtsought

Links

• Standards Registry– http://seabass.ieee.org/groups/geoss

• Components and Services Registry– http://geossregistries.info/

• GEO Homepage– http://www.earthobservations.org/