1. Scientific Knowledge from Geospatial Observations IGARSS 2015 Session: Why Data Matters: Value of Stewardship and Knowledge Augmentation Services
George Percivall, Dr. Ingo Simonis, Dr. Terry Idol
The Open Geospatial Consortium
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2. Scientific Knowledge from Geospatial Observations
Knowledge derived from remote sensing
Accumulated by systematic observation
Processed with mathematical or experience-based algorithms
Organized by general principles and concepts
Standards play an essential role
Key to efficient and effective exchange of remote sensed data
Necessary prerequisite for science
Status
Much has been done in generating knowledge from remote sensing
More needed to achieve full potential
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3. Copyright © 2015 Open Geospatial Consortium
Knowledge Defined
“Justified true belief” – Plato
Belief becomes knowledge when it is justified
Scientific Knowledge
Collection of data through observation and experimentation,
Formulation and testing of hypotheses
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4. Creating Knowledge from Images
From ISO/TS Geographic information - Reference model - Part 2: Imagery
Knowledge is an organized, integrated collection of facts and generalizations useful for pragmatic decisions that address the goals of multiple stakeholders.
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5. © 2015 Open Geospatial Consortium
What is a Standard?
“An agreed way of doing something”
EC: Practical standards guide for researchers - en
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6. © 2015 Open Geospatial Consortium
What is a Standard?
“An agreed way of doing something”
Standards are the distilled wisdom of people with expertise in their subject matter and who know the needs of the organizations they represent – people such as manufacturers, sellers, buyers, customers, trade associations, users or regulators.
Standards are knowledge. They are powerful tools that can help drive innovation and increase productivity. They can make organizations more successful and people’s everyday lives easier, safer and healthier.
EC: Practical standards guide for researchers - en
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7. Use of standards in science
Allow scientists to reliably access and review data
Physical: SI Units – Int. Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM)
Information: fundamental to communicating concepts
Research paradigms
A) Working with current standards to arrive at new conclusions
B) Reconsidering accepted standards, towards a view of the world
In either paradigm, need for well defined and realized standards is vital to the progress of science
“Geoscience depends on geospatial information standards,” S. J. Khalsa and G. Percivall, IEEE GRS-S Newsletter, March 2010
Copyright © 2010, Open Geospatial Consortium

8. Connecting the Sensor Web and Model Web using scientific methods
Deduction
Observation
Sensor Web
Model Web
Automated workflow at Illinois uses LDAS data from NASA to run river model at Texas
Source: D. Maidment, Univ. Texas, GEOSS Future Product Workshop, 2013

9. Connecting the Sensor Web and Model Web using scientific methods
Deduction
Observation
Sensor Web
Model Web
RAPID River Flow Model
Observations Datasets, Numerical Weather Model
Land Surface Model
Automated workflow at Illinois uses LDAS data from NASA to run river model at Texas
Source: D. Maidment, Univ. Texas, GEOSS Future Product Workshop, 2013

10. OGC Sensor Web Enablement Standards
Discover and Task Sensors - Access and process Observations
Sensor Observation Service (SOS)
Sensor Planning Service (SPS)
Sensor Alert Service (SAS)
Sensor Model Language (SensorML)
Observations & Measurements (O&M)
PUCK
Quickly discover sensors (secure or public) that can meet my needs – and learn about what they can do (location, observables, quality, ability to task)
Obtain sensor information in a standard encoding that is understandable by the user and by software
Readily access sensor observations in a common manner, and in a form specific to my needs
Task sensors, when possible, to meet my specific needs
Request and receive alerts / notification when a sensor measures a particular phenomenon, or completes a requested task
Information Models and Schema
Sensor Model Language (SensorML) for In-situ and Remote Sensors - Core models and schema for observation processes: support for sensor components, georegistration, response models, post measurement processing
Observations and Measurements (O&M) – Core models and schema for observations
TransducerML – adds system integration and real-time streaming clusters of observations
Web Services
Sensor Observation Service - Access Observations for a sensor or sensor constellation, and optionally, the associated sensor and platform data
Sensor Alert Service – Subscribe to alerts based upon sensor observations
Sensor Planning Service – Request collection feasibility and task sensor system for desired observations
Web Notification Service –Manage message dialogue between client and Web service(s) for long duration (asynchronous) processes
Sensor Registries – Discover sensors and sensor observations
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11. SWE Implementation Maturity – TRL 9
2002
Establishment
2003
Mobile Stations
2010
Portable Units R&D
Debris Flow
Sediment
Landslide
Precipitation monitor stations map
Portable Units14
Mobile3
On-Site 24
Water webs integration in AIP-6
Debris flow sensor web – GIS FCU
Soil moisture map with time series
Namibia Flood Pilot Sensor Web Concept
SWE Implementation Maturity Engineering Report
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Real-time In-situ Soil Monitoring for Agriculture (RISMA)
Source: NASA

12. Model Interoperability - An Evolution
OpenMI
ESMF
(Source: S. Nativi, CNR, GEOSS Future Products Workshop, 2013)

13. OpenMI – OGC Standard for Model Introperability
An interface standard (API) for:
run time (in memory) data exchange between models, databases & other components
Whose purpose is to:
improve ability to model complex scenarios
Application
Application
Hydraulics
Output data
Input data
User interface
User interface
Input data
Rainfall/Runoff
OpenMI
Output data

14. WPS for Remote Sensed Data Processing
Web Processing Service (WPS)
Web Coverage Processing Service (WCPS)
WPS Geoprocessing Workflow
Workflow environment for geospatial algorithms
Survey of progress in special issue of Computers & Geosciences [7]
Big Data Processing of Imagery
GetCapabilities
Execute
DescribeProcess
Algorithms Repository
Data Handler
Repository
HTTP
WPS-client
WPS
© Open Geospatial Consortium

15. OGC Testbed 10: SAR Interferometry with WPS on SBAS Cloud
Performance enhancements with Cloud deployment of SBAS (Small Baseline Subset) processing application using WPS and OpenSearch OGC Web Services
Exploit 64 differential SAR scenes for the generation of time series showing ground displacements over a decade in geological sensitive areas.
Part of an ongoing effort from ESA, CNR-IREA and Terradue partners
© 2014 Open Geospatial Consortium

16. © 2014 Open Geospatial Consortium
Example: EarthServer
EarthServer-2 starting May 2015
20 … 132 TB spatio-temporal databases as of June 2015
Baumann, 2013
© 2014 Open Geospatial Consortium

17. Discrete Global Grid Systems
Earth System Spatial Grid
National
Nested
Grid
There are many different types of Discrete Global Grid Systems.
Some examples include:
The National Nested Grid – developed as an ANZLIC specification guideline in 2012
SCENZ-grid (or, Spatial Computation Engine for NZ) – developed by Landcare Research NZ
Earth System Spatial Grid – being developed under the GEOSS workplan; and
Snyder Grid – Developed in a collaboration involving The PYXIS Innovation Inc.
There is a need for the development of a standard to enable interoperability within and between Discrete Global Grid Systems and to promote reusability, knowledge exchange, and choices between different data sources and architectures.
The Open Geospatial Consortium’s Web Service Architecture presents a promising set of technologies to enable this fusion between Discrete Global Grid Systems.
Snyder
Grid
SCENZ-Grid
Source: Matt Purss, Geoscience Australia

18. Discrete Global Grid System (DGGS) Standards Working Group (SWG)
Develop common criteria that will define conformant DGGSs
Considering Goodchild criteria
Develop conceptual standard to facilitate data fusion between DGGSs using OGC Standards
to make them interoperable – with conventional and other DGGS data
to standardize operations on them
Engage stakeholders to encourage new use cases and adoption of interoperability through DGGSs

19. To Collaborative Science
To collaborative science where researchers using CyberGIS can propose an experiment and discuss it with their peers using structured participation methods before executing it – or deliberate geographic data representation, computational method, analysis, visualization, etc, at any stage of research directly within the analytical environment
Roderick | Nyerges – AAG 2015, Chicago

20. Knowledge Objects need to be conceptually modeled and implemented
“Decision” and “Hypothesis” as 1st class objects
UML Model of the concepts and linked data relationships
Ontology for Types of decisions and hypothesis
Encodings of conceptual models
Templates for Decisions and Hypothesis
Recommender systems - a guess at the riddle
If I see “these conditions” then consider this “decision template”
If I am researching “these topics” then consider this “hypothesis”
“Geodata fusion” Proceedings SPIE Geospatial InfoFusion III, A (23 May 2013); doi: /
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21. Scientific Knowledge from Geospatial Observations
Standards underlie the scientific integrity of geospatial knowledge systems
Open standards are essential to open science
Basis to converge empirical and conceptual for science progress
Standards progress must have a scientific framework
“Accidental observations made according to no plan, cannot be united under necessary law” – Immanuel Kant
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