Siri Jodha Khalsa CIRES, Univ. of Colorado Brokering for Multi-Disciplinary Interoperability: An EarthCube Perspective Siri Jodha Khalsa CIRES, Univ. of Colorado

EarthCube Process Collaboratively produced framework to form an integrated & synergistic path forward Special Interest Groups Special Interest Groups End User Groups Community Discourse Brokering X-Domain Interop. Service Based Integration Earth System Modeling Layered Architecture Dark GeoData Hydrospheric Model (OHMF) Concept Awards Semantics and Ontologies Workflow Governance Data Discovery/Mining/Access Community Groups Collaboration between Cas and CGs critical to the process Recognition that governance is primary need Structure and body still TBD

EarthCube Process Collaboratively produced framework to form an integrated & synergistic path forward Special Interest Groups Special Interest Groups End User Groups Community Discourse Concept Awards Semantics and Ontologies Workflow Governance Data Discovery/Mining/Access Community Groups Collaboration between Cas and CGs critical to the process Recognition that governance is primary need Structure and body still TBD Hydrospheric Model (OHMF) X-Domain Interop. Layered Architecture Earth System Modeling Brokering Dark GeoData Service Based Integration

The Brokering Concept Award Primary Deliverable was a Roadmap: Brokering Terminology &Principles Communications & Collaborations Current State of Art Challenges & Risks Governance Requirements Lessons Learned Recommended Next Steps

Brokering Framework Definition A broker connects information resources by mediating interactions between those resources without requiring either party to adapt new conventions or install software components Enables many-to-many connections A broker connects information resources (a client requesting information and a server providing that information) by mediating interactions between those resources without requiring either party to adapt new conventions or install software components A broker might mediate data discovery (e.g. translating between catalog search protocols), data access (e.g. translating between data formats or CRS), and workflow composition. A broker might mediate between domain semantics or natural languages

Tenets There is no single information technology or standard that will serve all domains Different domains are at different stages of infrastructure development and use Cyberinfrastructure must evolve incrementally it is impossible to anticipate all requirements or technical and sociological trends Brokering can bring the flexibility, adaptability and evolvability necessary for successful CIs

Standards and Infrastructure No universally appropriate standards exist for describing, representing, and interpreting data Standards are often nested may link to and integrate with other standards across systems, organizations, nations, and cultures Standards are relevant to particular communities Embody values and ethical choices What make things easier for one community will be a barrier to another community

Additional Tenets Brokering should be a core service of the CI Managed and maintained independent of the served domains (users or providers) Multiple brokers may work at different levels within the overall system of systems The CI should support the interactions of brokers

Experiments, Pilots and Prototypes Hack-a-thon Evaluate ease with which resources are connected No coding required Evaluated DAB, GeoPortal, ERDDAP Prototyping with DAB GEOSS, ACADIS, CUAHSI, Unidata, Forest Carbon Range from experimental to operational Addressing both specific and general needs Issued Request for Information Seeking to learn of brokering solutions Ways in which we are gaining experience with brokering solutions Driven in most cases by specific needs expressed by use cases

Lessons Learned CI development should begin by addressing real needs with real users evaluating incremental deliveries of functionality Variations in standards implementations require custom adaptors Accumulate understanding of social dynamics involved with infrastructure creation and use

Highlights from Roadmap Brokering is a necessity in any infrastructure aiming to connect information resources of diverse, autonomous disciplines For EarthCube to become a reality it must make a long-term commitment to infrastructure development and maintenance EarthCube will need a well-defined but flexible system of governance to oversee infrastructure evolution, in particular cross-disciplinary solutions EarthCube will need a well-defined but flexible system of governance to aid these decisions and to define organizations and mechanisms to select and sustain the necessary brokers.

Model Webs In phase where there are many competing and overlapping solutions and initiatives Underscores sociotechnical nature of CI evolution Necessity of showing value, understanding users and their needs

Tensions in Infrastructure Development Cost vs. benefit of standards adoption Reliability & availability of brokered resources Ownership, buy in, control, confidence Brokering all conceivable formats/protocols vs. just those bringing most benefits Brokering as a interim solution deciding between social and technical solutions and between global and local approaches (or some combination) as well as choices such as which standards and protocols to support. Balance between top-down promulgation of standards and practices, and bottom-up adoption by communities Ownership/Maintenance of broker configurations Community support for sustainability roliferation of incompatible brokering solutions Develop common description of adaptors? Which resources/standards to broker Stability of resources being brokered Retiring brokering framework when convergence on standards makes it largely unnecessary

Next Steps for EarthCube Build pilots, prototypes and testbeds where components can be developed, tested then integrated Must be guided and evaluated by user community Brokers will grow and evolve as they connect more and more systems Broker implementations will continue under various international programs Coordination and knowledge sharing desirable Develop a brokering “community of practice” graphic

Questions?

A broker connects information resources (a client requesting information and a server providing that information) by mediating interactions between those resources without requiring either party to adapt new conventions or install software components A broker might mediate data discovery (e.g. translating between catalog search protocols), data access (e.g. translating between data formats or CRS), and workflow composition. A broker might mediate between domain semantics or natural languages