# Presentation: 928868

## The Virtual Solar-Terrestrial Observatory*

- Peter Fox (pfox@ucar.edu)
- HAO/ESSL/NCAR
- (with Don Middleton, Stan Solomon, Deborah McGuinness, Jose Garcia, Patrick West, Luca Cinquini, James Benedict, Tony Darnell)
- *Work partially funded by NSF/CISE/SCI

## Outline

- VSTO aims/scope and what’s different
- Current developments
- Phased implementation
- Existing data sources
- Use-cases 1, 2 - examples
- Software architecture
- Ontology development
- Status/ plans

## Aims/Scope

- The Virtual Solar-Terrestrial Observatory (VSTO) is a:
*distributed, scalable education and research environment for searching, integrating, and analyzing observational, experimental and model databases in the fields of solar, solar-terrestrial and space physics*
- VSTO comprises:
*a system-level framework built on semantics providing virtual access to specific data, model, tool and material archives containing items from a variety of space- and ground-based instruments and experiments, as well as individual and community modeling and software efforts bridging research and educational use*

**Notes:**
To contrast the approach of proxy models with physics based models – no “free parameters” and absolute units

## What’s different about VSTO?

- Ability to find datasets alone: is not sufficient to build a virtual observatory: VSTO **integrates** tools, models, and data and arranges for delivery of these to the end-user
- Thus, VSTO addresses the **interface** problem, effectively and scalably
- Also, VSTO addresses the **interdisciplinary** metadata and **ontology** problem - bridging terminology and use of data within and across disciplines
- VSTO leverages the development of schema describing
**syntax** (name of a variable, its type, dimensions, etc. or the procedure name and argument list, etc.),
**semantics** (what the variable physically is, its units, etc.) and
**pragmatics** (or what the procedure does and returns, etc.) of the datasets and tools.
- VSTO provides a basis for a **framework** for integrating data within and across disciplines, and building and distributing advanced data assimilation tools

**Notes:**
To contrast the approach of proxy models with physics based models – no “free parameters” and absolute units

## Phased implementation

- CEDAR, CISM, ACOS
- Realms (ontologies):
- Covers middle atmosphere to the Sun + SPDML
- Mesh with Earth Realm (SWEET)
- Mesh with GEON
- Use-cases and user requirements

- CISM

- ACOS

- CEDAR

- SWEET

- VSTO

- +SPDML

## CEDARWEB

- Community data archive,  documents, and support.

## ACOS at the MLSO

- Near real-time data from Hawaii from a variety of solar instruments, as a valuable source for space weather, solar variability and basic solar physics

## Slide 11

## Slide 12

## Slide 13

## Status

- VSTO prototype, and ontology version 0.3, (vsto.owl)
- Initial contributions to SWEET
- Detailed implementation for Use-case 1 (CEDAR) and Use-case 2 (ACOS) - **both going into production in August with new portal**
- API/Web services encapsulation of interfaces being documented
- Collaboration with APL and Madrigal
- Use-case 3 (radar) is being developed, also 4, 5
- Feedback - lots of users, all prepared to tell us the G/B/U but use-cases build a lot of feedback in right from the start
- Adding models, tools, educational material in 2007
- Semantics as a basis for “configuring” VxOs in 2007
- _[http://](http://vsto.hao.ucar.edu/)__[vsto](http://vsto.hao.ucar.edu/)__[.](http://vsto.hao.ucar.edu/)__[hao](http://vsto.hao.ucar.edu/)__[.](http://vsto.hao.ucar.edu/)__[ucar](http://vsto.hao.ucar.edu/)__[.](http://vsto.hao.ucar.edu/)__[edu](http://vsto.hao.ucar.edu/)__[/](http://vsto.hao.ucar.edu/)_ - project web site
- Collaborations: SESDI, SKIF, ESG, CISM, GEON, NMI, SWEET, SciFlo, CDP, ECHO, NSDL/DLESE/OAI, VITMO, SPDML, OPeNDAP ...
- Contact (_[pfox@ucar.](mailto:pfox@ucar.edu)__[edu](mailto:pfox@ucar.edu)_)

## Pushing the use-case envelope

**Find data which represents the state of the neutral atmosphere anywhere above 100km and toward the arctic circle (above 45N) at any time of ****high geomagnetic activity****. **
**WHAT is needed to query the CEDAR database?**
**What information do we have to extract from the use-case?**
**What we can infer?**
**How does that lead to a complete query?**

## Advertising

## Ontologies workshop

- May 26, 2006 at JHU/APL, 8 am - 5 pm
- Workshop participants will have the opportunity to learn:
- What ontologies are (in simple terms):
- Why to develop one, how to use one, how to build one and how example applications use them
- An indication of how knowledge representation technologies can change the way our communities develop interdisciplinary and diverse science applications
- Ways in which these changes can enable new science
- An opportunity to clarify how knowledge representation can help educators
- _[http://sras.jhuapl.edu/workshop.html](http://sras.jhuapl.edu/workshop.html)_
- Talk to Michele Weiss or Peter Fox this afternoon

## Introduction to the Electronic Geophysical Year, 2007-2008  (eGY)

- Introduction to the Electronic Geophysical Year, 2007-2008  (*e*GY)

- _[www.](http://www.egy.org/)__[egy](http://www.egy.org/)__[.org](http://www.egy.org/)_
**Booth #7 at AGU/JA**

**Notes:**
This presentation provides an introduction to the Electronic Geophysical Year, 2007-2008 (eGY).
Notes accompany each slide, so we recommend that the presentation be viewed under “View: Normal”, or perhaps “View: Notes”.

eGY Development Team
06 January 2006

## What is eGY?

- What is *e*GY?

*e*GY is a cooperative international effort to address the challenges of modern data stewardship, interoperability (*e*-Science), and integrative science:
- Ready and open access to distributed data, information and services
- Access to large, complex, and cross-disciplinary data sets
- Real-time access and assimilation of data into models
- Data integration and knowledge discovery
- Data discovery (who holds what, where, how? Metadata issues)
- Data release (secure access permission)
- Data preservation (preserve existing and future data)
- Data rescue (identify and rescue critical data sets at risk)
- Education and public outreach; informing decision makers
- Advancement of science in developing countries (reducing the digital divide)

**Notes:**
eGY is mainly about promoting e-Science for Geoscience - producing a Geoscience Information Commons. The steps that lead to this utopia are embodied in the seven themes of eGY:  Data Access, Data Discovery, Data Release, Data Preservation, Data Rescue, Education and Public Outreach, and Capacity Building. The latter is restricted largely to reducing the digital divide between the science haves and have nots.
In a 21st century interoperable world, all these theme areas need to be revisited and new policies developed. What we can do now and how we do it are fundamentally different from what was possible at the time of IGY.

## WG: Education and Public Outreach+VO

**Notes:**
eGY has embarked on an Education and Public Outreach Program under the leadership of Emily CoBabe-Ammann (LASP). 
The goal of the eGY Education and Outreach is to create an education portal that connects teachers, in a well-defined way, to the virtual observatories. The programming developed will allow teachers to use the virtual observatories and its data in an educational context, with supporting materials and activities. In addition, and perhaps as important, the portal will support virtual educational communities, both synchronously and asynchronously. There will be virtual seminars, not only on science content, but on the educational technology and assessment. Teachers will be provided with multimedia assets, including scientific talks, computer-based animations and interactives.
The anticipated budget is about USD 2.5 million, to be provided through University Foundations. The program is expanding and may grow to encompass some of the needs of the other I*Y programs (IPY, IHY, Planet Earth).

## Interested in Getting Involved?

- Sign the *“*Declaration for a Geoscience Information Commons”
- Contact: Bill.Peterson@lasp.colorado.edu

- _[www.](http://www.egy.org/)__[egy](http://www.egy.org/)__[.org](http://www.egy.org/)_*e*GY News
**VO working group**Email lists

**Notes:**
Welcome to eGY
Take advantage of eGY and the 50-year anniversary of IGY
Visit the eGY website
Subscribe to eGY News and use it to inform and be informed
Subscribe to the three-tiered email list server (choose the level of detail of communications that suits you)
Become a signatory to the eGY Declaration
Contact Bill to discuss your interests
We provide a list of suggested actions for eGY participants.

THANK YOU

## Extra slides

## Slide 23

## Instrument ontology

- Instrument
-         OpticalInstrument
-                 Interferometer
-                         Fabry-PerotInterferometer
-                         MichelsonInterferometer
-                                 IRMichelsonInterferometer (hasBand IR)
-                                 DopplerMichelsonInterferometer
-                 AirglowImager
-                 AllSkyCamera
-                 Lidar
-                 Spectrometer
-                         Polarimeter
-                         Heliograph
-                 Photometer
-                         SingleChannel
-                         MultiChannel

## CEDAR ontology - parameters

- PhysicalQuantity
- 	refersToRealm
- 	Density
- 		ElectronDensity
- 		NeutralDensity
- 		measuredBy: mass, number
- 	Pressure
-         	NeutralPressure
- 	Temperature
- 		IonTemperature
- 		ElectronTemperature
- 		NeutralTemperature
- 	Field
- 		hasMagnitude: xsd::number 	FieldComponent                        		hasDirection			hasCoordinateSystem
- 		MagneticFieldComponent
- 		ElectricFieldComponent
- 		VelocityFieldComponent

- Wavelength: hasInterval
- Wavenumber: hasInterval
- Index
- 	hasSamplingRepresentation
- 	Geophysical
- 	Solar
- StatisticalMeasure
- 	Covariance
- 	ChiSquare
- 	ReducedChiSquare
- 	CrossCorrelation
- 	Coherence
- 	Curtosis
- 	...
- StatisticalOperation (SWEET)
- numerics.owl

## What is an Ontology?

- Catalog/
- ID

- General
- Logical
- constraints

- Terms/
- glossary

- Thesauri
- “narrower
- term”
- relation

- Formal
- is-a

- Frames
- (properties)

- Informal
- is-a

- Formal
- instance

- Value Restrs.

- Disjointness, Inverse, part-of...

- *based on AAAI ’99 Ontologies panel – McGuinness, Welty, Ushold, Gruninger, Lehmann

## Semantic Web Layers

- Ontology Level
- Language (OWL (RDF/XML compatible))
- Environments (inspired by FindUR, Chimaera, Ontolingua, OntoBuilder/Server, Sandpiper Tools, Cerebra, ...)
- Standards body leverage (W3C’s WebOnt, W3C’s Semantic Web Best Practices, EU/US Joint Committee, OMG ODM,  Scientific Markup Standards, ...)
- Rules
- SWRL
- Logic
- Description Logics
- Proof
- PML, Inference Web Services and 			Infrastructure
- Trust
- IWTrust

- http://www.w3.org/2004/Talks/0412-RDF-functions/slide4-0.html

## Virtual Observatories

- Conceptual examples:
- In-situ: Virtual measurements
- Related measurements
- Remote sensing: Virtual, integrative measurements
- Data integration

## CISM

- Goal: To create a physics-based numerical simulation model that describes the space environment from the Sun to the Earth.
***THE USES OF SPACE WEATHER MODELING***

- A scientific tool for increased understanding of the complex space environment.
- A specification and forecast tool for space weather prediction.
- An educational tool for teaching about the space environment.