Calit2 Participates in "Scalable Information Networks for the Environment" Meeting
As environmental research becomes more complex and multidisciplinary, gains in our understanding of ecosystem biocomplexity can be furthered through application of technologies that improve data management and delivery; enhance modeling and prediction; and facilitate communication among individuals, environmental sensors, computers, and databases.
The SINE meeting, held October 29-November 1 at the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) and sponsored by the National Science Foundation, was convened to begin addressing these issues in a more focused way with representatives from all relevant stakeholder groups. It was the first attempt to discuss a scalable national environmental information infrastructure that meets the needs of scientists working at local and broader scales, as well as decision makers and educators that may require information at regional to national scales. The meeting was organized and led by PI Alison Withey, SDSC.
Participants included technical experts across a variety of disciplines to discuss the technical requirements to build local, regional, and national networks to deliver continuous, integrated high-quality data in real- or near-real time. They included research scientists, directors of field stations and marine laboratories, and experts in computational and information sciences, including several representatives from Calit².
The scientists shared their experiences in expanding site-specific disciplinary science to broader spatial scales and information infrastructure needs, leveraging field and satellite sensors and related data collection capabilities. Field station and marine laboratory personnel grounded the workshop in present-day realities of existing infrastructure and capabilities, and provided their vision of how their resources can contribute to a national capability to observe and understand environmental complexity. And computational scientists presented state-of-the-art development in sensing technologies, networking capabilities, information delivery, and knowledge generation.
The workshop focused on three topics:
- How to build distributed sensor networks (including design and implementation).
- Enabling technologies and user requirements for data and information management and delivery.
- Scalable environmental information networks (data, computers, and people).
Calit² speakers included the following:
- Deborah Estrin (UCLA and a member of the Calit² Advisory Board) addressing next century challenges with respect to scalable coordination in sensor networks.
- Frank Vernon (Scripps Institution of Oceanography and a member of the Environment and Civil Infrastructure layer) discussing his High Performance Wireless Research and Education Network.
- Mike Bailey (SDSC and a member of the New Media Arts layer) discussing scientific visualization.
- Phil Papadopoulos (SDSC and Calit² architect) discussing scalable computational infrastructure (workstations, clusters, and grid computing).
- Chaitan Baru (SDSC and member of Interfaces and Software Systems layer) discussing data and knowledge-based grids.
- Geoffrey C. Bowker (UCSD and a member of the Education layer) discussing the human dimension with respect to scalable environmental information networks.
Also from Calit², Mark Bachman from UCI attended the meeting. A white paper of the proceedings and the group's recommendations, including an inventory of sensing technology, will be posted on the Web.
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