CEOS Working Group on Information System and Services (WGISS) Data Access Infrastructure and Interoperability Standards Andrew Mitchell - NASA Goddard Space Flight Center CGMS-44 CEOS-WP-02 v1 7 June 2016 Prepared by CEOS Agenda Item: WGIV/10 Discussed in WGIV Committee on Earth Observation Satellites

CEOS Background & Mission Established in 1984, the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) serves as a focal point for international coordination of space-related Earth Observation (EO) activities. –Optimize benefits through cooperation of members in mission planning and in development of compatible data products, formats, services, applications, and policies. As the “space arm” of the intergovernmental Group on Earth Observations, CEOS is implementing high priority actions to support delivery of societal benefit. CEOS ensures international coordination of civil space-based Earth observation programs and promotes exchange of data to optimize societal benefit and inform decision making for securing a prosperous and sustainable future for humankind. Mission 2

What is WGISS? Working Group on Information Systems and Services. As subsidiary body supporting the Committee on Earth Observing Satellites (CEOS), WGISS promotes collaboration in the development of systems and services that manage and supply these observatory data. The activities and expertise of WGISS span the full range of the information life cycle  from the requirements and metadata definition for the initial ingestion of satellite data into archives  through to the incorporation of derived information into end-user applications. 3 WGISS will address in particular: the description, maintenance, discovery, access, and utilization, including archiving and long-term preservation, of space borne Earth observation data and supporting ancillary and auxiliary data, enabling improved operability and interconnectivity of information systems and services.

WGISS Interoperability CWIC FedEO IDN Adopted Interoperability Standards Demonstration Video

Interoperability - CWIC CWIC = CEOS WGISS Integrated Catalog  Implemented to realize a federated catalogue for data discovery from multiple EO data centers 5 CWIC acts as a virtual clearinghouse of spatial, temporal, and science keyword metadata that brokers access to Earth Observation data by interoperating with data archives of other agencies and countries. CWIC provides a translation gateway from the WGISS-supported search standards to the inventory systems of the CWIC Data Partners that describe collections of data granules. CWIC is currently providing access to data from NASA, USGS, NOAA/GHRSST, INPE, EUMETSAT, ISRO (MOSDAC, NRSC), and CCMEO.

Interoperability - FedEO FedEO = Federated Earth Observation missions access  The FedEO system provides a unique entry point to a growing number of scientific catalogues and services for, but not limited to, EO European and Canadian missions. 6 FedEO is deployed with ESA (European Space Agency) infrastructure as a gateway to: Provide brokered discovery, access and ordering capability to European/Canadian EO missions data based on HMA (Heterogeneous Missions Accessibility) interfaces; Implement the OpenSearch OGC (Open Geospatial Consortium) and other interfaces for an increased number of discoverable and accessible EO data collections;

Interoperability - IDN IDN = International Directory Network  An international effort developed to assist users in locating data sets, data services, and visualizations. 7 Provides free, online access to metadata on scientific data in the Earth sciences: geoscience, hydrospheric, biospheric, satellite remote sensing, and atmospheric sciences. Provides clients/portals directory-level search of CEOS agencies and others who have registered their collections in the IDN

WGISS Interoperability Standards Architecture WGISS has adopted the CEOS OpenSearch Best Practices in addition to the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) Catalog Services for the Web (CSW) v2.0.2 standards for searching remote sensing catalogs, both for collection and inventory information. The FedEO, CWIC and IDN systems have implemented the WGISS supported standards are providing access to over 2300 collections and 76+ millions granules of EO mission data. 8 The IDN provides descriptions of data sets (collection level) of relevance to global change research. Both the CWIC and the FedEO systems offer search of inventory data (granule level) and access to the data records. A WGISS system level team will provide technical support to register data collections in the IDN and to on-board new data providers to connect their inventory systems to CWIC or FedEO.

WGISS Interoperability Video Demonstration WGISS agencies (NASA, CNES, and ESA) recently released a video that demonstrates the interoperability capabilities of the CEOS OpenSearch Best Practices. The WGISS demonstration shows how a user studying forest cover change over Borneo Island would search and access data at NASA, USGS, and ESA. This is possible using CEOS agencies’ developed search tools because of the WGISS interoperability efforts.  All of the search and access tools shown in the video are operational and available for public use  All of the data being accessed have an open data policy (some may require simple user registration) Video is accessible at (or via the WGISS website 9

Conclusion CEOS strives to make all Essential Climate Variable (ECV) products provided by CEOS agencies discoverable and accessible via WGISS supported standards. CEOS recommends the adoption of the WGISS supported standards for searching Climate Data Records (CDRs). WGISS will continue to work towards a common understanding of the information model for satellite data, the identification and testing of common search criteria for satellite data products, and adaption and testing of the common standards and protocols to describe, search, and access satellite data.  WGISS will provide technical support to CGMS agencies providing their climate data records through the WGISS supported standards (e.g. CEOS OpenSearch) and data access infrastructure (IDN, CWIC, FedEO). 10

For more information, please visit the WGISS website: Or contact: WGISS Chair: Andrew Mitchell (NASA) WGISS Vice-Chair: Mirko Albani (ESA) 11