Candidate Technical Topics

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Air Quality Data Network (ADN), Non-IT Issues

Non-IT Issues. These are all potentially contentious topics, so can only be touched upon, not necessarily resolved.

What is the purpose of ADN?

Virtual to Real

What are the minimum requirements for ADN?

What few things must be the same, so everything els can be different. Autonomy - Interoperability balance...

What is the scope of AQN?

Geographic, Variables, Ambient fixed station observations, satellite observations, emissions, models?

What data (processing) level served through ADN?

Is ADN a decider? Why not the Provider? Data Raw, Derived;

Data Servers: Technical Realization (IT) Issues and Solutions

Issues re. the use of netCDF and other data formats

netCDF is standard format for multi-dimensional data. Cf-netCDF is used both as an archival format of grid data as well as a payload format for WCS queries.

• Issue: ambiguity of CF
• Issue: We should define a standard python interface (PyNIO, python-netcdf4, scipy.io.netcdf?)
• Issue: Delivery of (small) data sets in ASCII/csv format
• Issue: Reading of grib data (?)

Use of WMS, WCS, WFS .. in combination?

Data display/preview is through WMS. AQ data can be delivered through WCS, WFS. In AComServ, WCS for transferring ndim grid and point-station data; WFS for deliver monitoring station descriptions.

• Issue: WMS interface for preview; "latest" token for dynamic links?

WCS versions

WCS is implemented in multiple versions: 1.0, 1.12, 2.0. The AQ Community Server (AComServ) is now implemented using WCS 1.1.2. Define here the WCS version (WCS 2.0) issue in about one sentence

Gridded data service through WCS

This generally works well.

• Issue: Extraction of vertical levels?
• Issue: Ambiguity of WCS; core plus extended (do we know what is valid?)

Delivery of station-point data

• Issue: use WCS or WFS, Combination of both?
• Access rights?

Data server performance issues/solutions?

Define performance issues, measurements

Server co-development tools, methods

Server code is maintained through SourceForge, Darcs code repositories are available at WUSTL and in Juelich.

• Issues: Version control, Platform independence, Documentation

Relationship to non-AComServ WCS servers

• Issue: protocol compatibility, standard compliance, data format(s)

Linkages to non-WCS servers

• Issue: is there a need?
• Issue: which protocols? (OpenDAP?, GIS servers?)

Data Network: Technical Realization (IT) Issues and Solutions

What is the design philosophy

Service oriented (everything is a service), Component and network design for change; open source (everything?!)

Interoperability of ADNC

Interoperability with whom? what standards are needed? CF Naming extensions? ===