1. Workshop on
Networking Air Quality Observations and Models:
Motivation:
“From Observations to Decision Support” at session 34-3, ISRSE 33, May 2009, Stresa, IT
Challenge:
The road to data driven decisions support is littered with wrecks.
Day 1: State of AQ Interoperability
Day 2: Technical Discussion
Day 3: Consensus? What Next?
Points of Contact: Rudolf Husar (rhusar@wustl.edu), Martin Schultz (m.schultz@fz-juelich.de)
Šolta, Croatia, August 24-26, 2011

2. Workshop Goals (Bravo Martin!)
•Get to know each other
•Identify core AQ applications and sharable data sets
•Exchange state-of-the-art, interoperability practices
•Address technical and programmatic issues
•Have fun

3. Preliminary Agenda
•Wednesday, 25 Aug: State of AQ Interoperability
– Participant presentations
– Integrating Initiatives, Agencies, ‘End Users’, their needs, roles
– GEO AQ CoP role, relationships, contributions
•Thursday, 26 Aug: Technical Realization of Interoperability
– Syntactic issues (Improved standards? WCS, WMS, CSW…; netcdf, other formats)
– Semantic issues (Metadata for finding and understanding data? CF? )
– Programmatic issues (Which data can be shared by whom? Data versions, etc.?)
•Friday, 27 Aug: Outcomes. Consensus? Next?
– What few things must be the SAME, so that everything else can be DIFFERENT?
– How can we collaborate? Interact with other Initiatives, Agencies, Users?
– Do we have common long-term goals? Next steps?

4. Air Quality Data Network
• Uses OGC standards (.. netCDF), CF
Conventions, ISO metadata
• Share software code, best practices
• Seven servers, three clients (HTAP, MACC,
ACP, EE, EMEP, VIEWS, PHAROS, CIERA,RSIG,..)
• AQ Community Catalog for finding
• Test app. for EPA Except. Events
AQ Data Network is still fragile, incomplete
AQ Data Find & Access
and inadequate for real apps, but
demonstrates
fine grained data networking with GEOSS AQ Data Network:
infrastructure and process Servers

5. MARKET

6. GEOSS Goal:
Facilitate access and integration of a broad range of EOs
to SBAs, including Air Quality

8. From Observations to Decisions
Spectrum of User Communities
Earth Obs. EO Service Discipline EnvHealth EnvPolicy Public &
& Modeler Provider Scientist Model, Res & Manager Officials
Spectrum of Activities and Approach
Measuring InfoProc. & SciKnow Decision Decision Assessing
& Modeling Distributi Creation Support Making Benefit
Maps on to the GEO Framework
Value-adding processes color chart here
Problem:
Which distributor? Sci Team? Decision Support – herre
the cocneptual breaks down..need to go experimental -
observational
In there pattern in the emerging information ecosystem

9. From Observations to Decisions
Spectrum of User Communities
Earth Obs. EO Service Discipline EnvHealth EnvPolicy Public &
& Modeler Provider Scientist Model, Res & Manager Officials
Spectrum of Activities and Approach
Measuring InfoProc. & SciKnow Decision Decision Assessing
& Modeling Distribution Creation Support Making Benefit
Data Portals AQ Science Teams
VIEWS - Visibility Information Exchange Web System
TF HTAP Task Force, Hemispheric Transport of Air Pollutants
AQ Decision Support Sys. VI
EPA RSIG - Remote Sensing Information Gateway EWS - Visibility Information Exchange Web System
EPA AQS - Air Quality System NASA AQAST - Quality Applied Science Team TF HTAP Task Force, Hemispheric Transport of Air Pollutants
NASA GIOVANNI - Data & Information Services Center ESA CCI Aerosol: Climate Change Initiative for Aerosols MACC: Monitoring Atmospheric Composition and Climate
GMES
EBAS - Norwegian Institute of Air Research EPA - Exceptional Air Pollution Event Analysis
GMES MACC: Monitoring Atmospheric Composition and Climate
DataFed - Federated Data Systems for Air Quality Data
CEOS ACP: Atmospheric Composition Portal
CIERA: Comm. Initiative for Emissions Res. & Apps. EPA - Exceptional Air Pollution Event Analysis
GMES MACC: Monitoring Atm. Composition and Climate AeroCom - Aerosol Model Inter-comparison Project

10. The era of a single data provider, the individual scientist or the lone
decision supporter is over.
There is a new pattern emerging in the maturing information ecosystem
Data Portals aggregators of many data streams
Data Portals AQ Science Teams AQ Decision Support Systems
Data Aggregators for Science Collectives and Data Driven Analysis and
Easier Access Collaboratives Prognosis
VIEWS - Visibility Information Exchange Web System TF HTAP Task Force, Hemispheric Transport of AirVIEWS - Visibility Information Exchange Web System
Pollutants
EPA RSIG - Remote Sensing Information Gateway NASA AQAST - Quality Applied Science Team TF HTAP Task Force, Hemispheric Transport of Air Pollutan
GMES MACC: Monitoring Atmospheric Composition and Cli
EPA AQS - Air Quality System ESA CCI Aerosol: Climate Change Initiative for AerosolsExceptional Air Pollution Event Analysis
EPA -
NASA GIOVANNI - Data & Information Services Center GMES MACC: Monitoring Atmospheric Composition and Climate Data Systems for Air Quality Data
DataFed - Federated
EBAS - Norwegian Institute of Air Research EPA - Exceptional Air Pollution Event Analysis
CEOS ACP: Atmospheric Composition Portal
AeroCom - Aerosol Model Inter-comparison Project
CIERA: Comm. Initiative for Emissions Res. & Apps.
GMES MACC: Monitoring Atm. Composition and Climate
This is a good thin for the Earth System & GEOSS since it does not
have to support individuals but can fucus on fewer groupings
Implicit structure Cascading multi-stage process al la the economy-of-
scale

11. Value Adding Groups
Felicitators, Connectors
GEOSS AIP Architecture Implementation Pilot | OGC Network
EPA Data Summit
GO-ESSP: Global Org. for Earth System Science Portals
EU EGIDA - Coord. Cross-Disciplinary Projects to Promote GEOSS
EPA CyAir: Cyberinfratructure for Air Quality Managment
CIERA: Community Initiative for Emissions Research and Applications
GEO AQ CoP: GEO Air Quality Community of Practice
COST ES0602: EU Network on Chemical Weather Forecasting..
AeroCom - Aerosol Model Inter-comparison Project
ESIP Earth Science Information Partners, AQ Work Group
GEO Air Quality
Data Portals Community of Practice AQ Decision Support Systems
VIEWS - Visibility Information Exchange Web System VIEWS - Visibility Information Exchange Web System
EPA RSIG - Remote Sensing Information Gateway TF HTAP Task Force, Hemispheric Transport of Air Pollutants
EPA AQS - Air Quality System GMES MACC: Monitoring Atmospheric Composition and Clima
NASA GIOVANNI - Data & Information Services Center
EBAS - Norwegian Institute of Air Research
Main Value Adding Activity: EPA - Exceptional Air Pollution Event Analysis
DataFed - Federated Data Systems for Air Quality Data
CEOS ACP: Atmospheric Composition Portal
CIERA: Comm. Initiative for Emissions Res. & Apps.
Interoperable Network
GMES MACC: Monitoring Atm. Composition and Climate
AQ Science Teams
TF HTAP Task Force, Hemispheric Transport of Air Pollutants
NASA AQAST - Quality Applied Science Team
ESA CCI Aerosol: Climate Change Initiative for Aerosols
GMES MACC: Monitoring Atmospheric Composition and Climate
EPA - Exceptional Air Pollution Event Analysis
AeroCom - Aerosol Model Inter-comparison Project

12. • The GEO AQ CoP is a self-organized voluntary group that fosters
the use of Earth observations to air quality management and science
by leveraging synergies of sharing and collaboration.
• Community activities include collaborative website; workshops;
gathering user requirements; sharing tools and best practices as well
as aiding other communities: data portals, science teams and
decision support activities.
• A persistent output facilitated by the AQ CoP is a network of air
quality/atmospheric composition data servers that use OGC-
standard protocols and the GEOSS interoperability process.
• Searching, browsing and accessing data from monitoring networks,
satellite sensors, emissions, as well as from AQ models is through a
Community Catalog.

13. • We know that information systems like libraries and the
internet provide useful services
• The technologies and the engineering of these systems is
understood but the science is not in hand…
– What causes information to be generated, transmitted and
‘consumed’?
– What are the driving forces to the flow of information? Provider
push, consumer pull? Impediments.. …Can you push a rope?
– What are there suitable ‘laws of nature’, equivalent to conservation
of mass and energy?
• Earth Science info systems are still in the pre-scientific era
• Hence, first need to observe these info systems ..

14. The of GEOSS (and most other EO integrating initiatives) is create more
societal benefit from Earth Observations and Models
Effective creation of societal benefit hinges on seamless data flow and re-
use, so a universal value is the ability the share and re-use data.
Hence AQ CoP chose to focus on facilitating Air Quality Data Network.

15. • We also understand that the creation of an Earth
Science information system has been a grand challenge
for decades….
• …and that the “The road toward integrated Earth
Science info systems is littered with wrecks of well-
intended attempts..”
• So, challenge is how to make more progress this time..
•