# Presentation: 108853

## Tools for Accessing Distributed In-situ Data Collections

- Donald W. Denbo, NOAA/PMEL-University of Washington/JISAO
- Jason E. Fabritz,  NOAA/PMEL-University of Washington/JISAO
- Bernard J. Kilonsky,  Sea Level Center/ADCP Center, University of Hawaii
- John R. Osborne, OceanAtlas Software
- Nancy Soreide, NOAA/PMEL
- L. Charles Sun, NOAA/National Oceanographic Data Center
- Willa H. Zhu, NOAA/PMEL-University of Washington/JISAO

## Challenge

- The process of locating and selecting individual observations from many on-line, large collections of in-situ data observations is complex
- E.g., millions of individual ocean profiles, time series, buoy tracks, etc.

## Some Answers

- A suite of tools focused on in-situ data and metadata:
- Locating
- Subsetting
- Graphing, viewing and inter-comparing
- Downloading
- Developed for geographically distributed collections of in-situ data
- Freely available

## Java and Open Source

- Developed in Java
- Tools operate smoothly across a variety of hardware platforms and operating systems.
- Reduced development/maintenance costs
- Tools are created from widely-used, standards-based, freely available, off-the-shelf, Open Source components.

## Modular components

- SGT Java graphics
- Graphical presentation of oceanographic and meteorological data
- NdEdit
- Selecting and subsetting from large collections of in-situ data
- XML-based MetaArchitect
- Automated metadata generation
- LDAP
- Network data discovery based on geographic region, observed quantities or keyword

## SGT Java graphics toolkit

- SGT
- A collection of Java classes and interfaces to create graphical applications
- Easy-to-use SGT JavaBeans in next release
- Features
- Contour, line and vector plots, user settable or automatically scaled axes (including time axes), mouse-movable, customizable objects (labels, line keys, icons), automatic generation of legends
- Usage
- Wide variety of scientific and commercial applications
- 9672 downloads by 3548 unique sites from 64 countries

## SGT Javagraphics examples

- SGT Javagraphics examples

- Two time axis styles

## NdEditSubsetting observed data from large data collections

- Interactive, linked windows for viewing or selecting individual data observations
- View in 2D slices (lat, lon, depth/height, time)
- Select in box, polygon, section line, along bathymetry contours
- Refine data selection by deleting or retaining files
- Applications
- Java OceanAtlas (profile data)
- Climate Data Portal (distributed ocean data)
- EPIC (desktop system for in-situ data management)

## NdEditExplore data locations in linked windows

- NdEditExplore data locations in linked windows

- Ocean profiles viewed in linked windows showing _lat-lon_ and _lat-time_ views

- Built-in or customized bathymetry contourscan be added to lat-lon view

## NdEditSelect desired subset from a data collection

- NdEditSelect desired subset from a data collection

- Filter in time window to view or selecta subset of the data

- Time window

## MetaArchitectXML service for automated metadata extraction

- Automated scanning of data files to extract FGDC compliant metadata to support data discovery
- Flexible and configurable XML-based tool
- Applications:
- netCDF data
- NODC data archives
- DODS?

## Using LDAP for environmental data discovery on the Internet

- Find data sets on-line based on geographic region, observed quantities or keyword
- Automated population of directory directly from data servers
- Metadata is instantly known to distributed LDAP directories
- Access controls available for experimental data products
- Features
- Open Source, standards-based, platform independent, scalable, extensible, works with application or web client
- Applications
- Climate Data Portal (distributed data access)
- OceanShare (collaborative tool)
- DODS (possible, interested)

## Applications using the tools

- ncBrowse
- interactive browsing of data and metadata from DODS or other netCDF data files
- Climate Data Portal
- centralized access to distributed observing system data and historical archives
- Java OceanAtlas
- Intensive browsing of ocean profile data
-  OceanShare
- network collaboration tool

## ncBrowseNetworking data file browser

- Flexible, interactive graphical display of data and attributes for wide range of netCDF data file conventions
- Reads remote netCDF files
- Reads DODS data files
- Axis mapping, parametric plots, flexible mapping of independent variables to axes
- Line, vector and contour plots
- Animations
- Usage
- Data file browse tool for wide range of disciplines and programs
- E.g., Unidata, DODS, WOCE data
- 4749 downloads by 2265 unique sites from 55 countries

## Climate Data PortalAccess to distributed ocean observations data

- Data available:
- TAO El Nino buoy data (realtime) – PMEL
- Global sea level data (realtime) – University of Hawaii
- Global Temperature-Salinity Profile Program (GTSPP) – NODC
- PMEL hydrographic data and time series collection – PMEL
- WOCE Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler data– University of Hawaii
- Asia Pacific Data Research Center in-situ data –Intl. Pacific Research Center
- US Coastal Ocean Time Series database – NODC
- Future plans:  WOCE hydrography, WOCE/CLIVAR datasets, MEDS Canada, ARGO profiling floats
- Features:
- Data discovery services based on time/space/keyword (LDAP),
- Graphical data viewing/subsetting (NdEdit), data graphics (SGT)
- On-line help, tutorial
- Access from Java application or web client
- DODS interoperability (pending)

## Java OceanAtlasfor browsing Ocean profile data

- Sophisticated browsing/visualization of profile data
- Property-property plots with up to 7 x axes
- Offset property-property profiles (waterfall diagrams)
- Contour plots/residual contour plots
- Map plots with optional "bubble" isosurface plots
- Linked browsing of all plot types
- Built-in and custom calculations
- Browse data locations in space/time (NdEdit)
- Select in box, polygon, section line, along bathymetry contours
- Refine data selection by deleting or retaining files

## OceanShareNetwork collaboration tool

- Access to data and graphics in a networked collaborative tool environment
- Access to local and remote data files, graphics
- Standard collaboration tool features (annotation, whiteboard, etc)
- Utilizes:  CDP, NdEdit, SGT, LDAP, Slide, JavaSpaces, Jini, SpaceChat
- Secure Document Repository
- Secure location for sharing:
- documents, e.g., proposals, papers in progress, etc.
- data, images
- prior collaborative session state
- Access control list for individual documents and/or folders
- Document version control
- Documents accessible from web and desktop
- Utilizes:  WebDAV, Slide, Tomcat servlet container

## Summary

- Tools
- SGT - Java graphics toolkit
- NdEdit – Subsetting ocean observations from collections
- MetaArchitect - Automated metadata generation
- LDAP – Environmental data directory services
- Applications
- ncBrowse – Interactive file browser
- Climate Data Portal – Distributed ocean data access
- Java OceanAtlas – Ocean profile data browsing
- OceanShare – Collaboration tool

## In-situ data tools and applications are freely available

- Web
- http://www.epic.noaa.gov/epic/software/ep_java.htm
- Email
- Donald.W.Denbo@noaa.gov