earthcube all hands meeting outcomes: architecture forum

NSF vision of EC Architecture -Scope

› determined by community through broad engagement

› must meet the needs of Earth Science research and education community

-Challenges: › There are competing approaches› Have to integrate legacy systems› Diversity and complexity of Earth Science Information.

-Strategy› architecture development based on end-user needs› incremental process based on merit, feasibility and competence› conceptual design phase (now), refinement, then implementation

Earth Cube Architecture workshop

Quick overview from IT team with key points from workshop held at All Hands meeting 2014-06-24 and 25.

Compiled by Stephen Richard 2014-07-09 for EarthCube Town Hall at ESIP summer meeting, Copper Mountain, Colorado.

What is Architecture

A high level view of a system that can used as a guide to assess if something fits or doesn’t fit.  

› The architecture for a system is like a reference book for a discipline.

› Identify gaps, establish priorities

PANEL DISCUSSIONOcean Link, iPlant, GEOSS

Community infrastructure is a system of systems › continuously undergoing evolutionary development;

› must adapt to and satisfy user needs in a community driven way.

Constituent systems have their own architecture; EC architecture must integrate these by focusing on the gateways (interfaces) that link them.

Employ both bottom up and top down approaches in developing the architecture.

Scenarios for assembling building blocks

Architecture needs to Provide framework to show how EarthCube building

blocks fit together

Occupy middle ground between the uncoordinated technology-Bazaar model and the single monolithic system model.

Describe the kinds of communications necessary and the kinds of objects that need to be exchanged.

Guidelines

Architecture doesn’t dictate the technology, it dictates the interfaces.

Components should be modular and loosely coupled; easy to plug in new components

Decouple user interface and functional components.

Technology and Architecture Committee

purpose: To foster and coordinate the development of the evolving EarthCube architecture and technology.

Distinguish production software development (infrastructure) and research software development

Evaluate architecture performance against stated end-user needs.

…Many additional suggestions for charter

Thanks

Questions discussion

Comments from discussion at EC Town Hall need some way to see what current building blocks are and how they relate to each; Use diagrams from workshop as indication.